Final Call
by SoraxKairi7
Summary: Kairi and Sora have always felt the same about each other but were too afraid to tell. When Kairi and Riku start dating, they don't realize the impact it has on Sora. Things start happening out of their control. Kairi gets caught up in it and her repressed feelings for Sora arise. Can Sora, Riku and Kairi get past the obstacles? Drugs, bipolar disorder, sex. Mature audiences only.
1. Anger

_**A/N: **__WEE! I'm starting a new story because I change my mind like a maniac. (hashtagdonthate) Hope you enjoy and as always, please leave your __**feedback**__ at the end! It always helps! I'm also revealing part of the plot in the summary and that is intentional. Y'all know I love crazy twists, so I'm not telling the rest!_

Also, I tend to use the same last names throughout my stories nowadays just so I don't have to think of new ones. Lol.

_o-o-o_

**Final Call**

o-o-o

_**One  
><strong>_"Anger"

o-o-o

Kairi stared out of her classroom window lost in a sea of thoughts and emotions. The boy she had been in love with for ten years had apparently just started dating someone else. She overheard some of the girls in the class talking about it. Rumor or not, it was painful to even think about. Sora was one of her best friends and yet she never had a clue about him liking this girl.

"Yeah, they're totally together. I saw them." a girl named Olette told another girl. Kairi twitched.

Who was the rumored "goddess?"

Namine Yonehara.

Class president, prom queen and voted most likely to be successful in the senior yearbook, she had everything going for her. Perfect, medium length blonde hair that was swooped to the side, big blue eyes and a super petite figure, Namine was probably the most desired girl in the entire school. Even the way she laughed made guys fall for fer left and right. Namine was always polite and modest; her only enemies were those that were jealous of her beautiful looks. Although she was sweet and gentle, it wasn't surprising how many people hated her.

Kairi wasn't popular, but she wasn't unpopular and hideous either. Kairi did her best to keep up with her looks so that one day Sora would possibly look at her in a different light, but nothing ever worked (to her knowledge). The guys noticed her for all the wrong reasons, but Kairi felt like she was staying true to her heart by waiting for Sora to come around.

Patience is a virtue... or so they say.

Ten years.

For ten years, Kairi has been trying to get Sora to see her as more than a best friend.

All of her efforts had been futile and now he was dating the most beautiful girl in the school. Truthfully, it pissed her off to the point that she was going to confront him as soon as she saw him at lunch.

Sora Yamada was going to _get it_.

o-o-o

Class dragged on for what seemed like hours. Finally, the bell sounded. Kairi grabbed her things and rushed out of the room. There was one thing on her mind. She went all the way down the hall towards the cafeteria. Any moment now, Sora would be turning the corner. Kairi came to a halt right by the doors and waited; blood flowing throw her veins as her anger escalated. She felt inadequate. All of this time and he goes off and dates someone else? She wanted the truth.

Then she saw him...and her.

Sora had his arm around Namine. He was talking about something and she was giggling and blushing. Kairi was paralyzed. She could see it, but it wasn't registering in her mind. It was like a bad dream she had yet to wake up from. She stood there in shock as the swarm of students hurried past her into the cafeteria. Her heart probably skipped quite a few beats.

He didn't even greet her.

_'What... is going on...?'_

They looked so _happy_. At this moment, Kairi just wanted to disappear.

_Poke._

Kairi felt a light tap on her shoulder. Her other best friend Riku was standing behind her and smiling. He didn't notice that anything was amiss. Kairi's appetite was gone upon seeing Sora with his very first girlfriend, so she just waited at the table in the corner as Riku went to get his lunch. She spotted the two across the room. Namine was introducing him to her group of friends. He looked nervous, but probably after telling one of his cheesy jokes, he fit right in. He took a seat next to Namine and began conversing as if he had known them for years.

Sora always had a talent for blending in with the crowd and adapting to any situation. Unfortunately, Kairi wasn't like that. She liked her bubble and wasn't the best at going out of her comfort zone. She had Sora, Riku and a few acquaintances and she was completely fine with that. He was a social butterfly—and he was slowly drifting away from her.

Riku set his tray down next to her. Kairi was still watching them.

"If you stare any longer it could come off as creepy." Riku said. "So... Sora's over there today, huh? He's been making a lot more friends since he joined the soccer team."

"But you're on the soccer team too and you don't hang out with bimbos."

"Bimbos?"

"...didn't you hear?" Kairi pointed at Namine; a look of resentment on her face. "Sora has... a _girlfriend_."

Riku nearly spit out his food. "What? I don't believe it."

Right then, Sora proceeded to kiss Namine's cheek. He glanced at Kairi, but then turned back to the group. It was like he was a stranger. Riku watched Kairi with a heavy gaze; he felt bad for her.

"He didn't even say hi to me..." Kairi sulked.

Riku knew of Kairi's infatuation with Sora and frankly, he wished she would stop chasing him.

He was always watching her from afar.

Kairi didn't realize it, but Riku was always the one to pick up the pieces. She would constantly complain to him and he would listen. Riku was that one friend she could trust and he didn't want to break that.

But he wished for something _more_.

Riku would drop hints here and there, but of course Kairi was way too blind to catch on. If Sora was in love her, Riku would know. Sora told him everything and he never once said anything about even having the slightest crush on Kairi.

Well, he told him everything but the girlfriend part.

"I want to beat his ass!" Kairi was ready to go over there and make a scene. Riku was quick to stop her and calm her down. He knew Kairi could beat Sora up if she wanted to.

"I'll talk to him for you, okay? I'll find out what's going on." Riku reassured her halfheartedly. Kairi seemed satisfied with this answer and just waited for lunch to be over. She tried not to pay attention to the new, _happy_ couple.

Sora continued to be social with everybody but her until the last class of the day—which they were in together. They sat side by side near the back of the room. Kairi took her seat and waited for Sora to arrive. Just as the bell rang, he came stumbling into the classroom.

"Sorry, Mr. DiZ." Sora said as he waved to Namine out in the hallway and smiling like an idiot. Kairi heard Namine's heels clashing with the floor as she ran off to her own class and disappeared around the corner. He sat down next to her and got out his notebook. "Hey, Kai." he said rather cheerfully.

_'Oh, now he acknowledges my presence?'_

Kairi didn't respond and just looked forward.

"Are you mad at me?" Sora whispered.

_'No shit...'_ She thought to herself. _'How dare he ask such a stupid question...'_

"I'm sorry for not telling you about Namine. It kind of just _happened_."

_'Just... happened?'_ She still was having trouble forming words. Part of her wanted to cry and the other just wanted to punch him in the face.

Sora realized that Kairi wasn't going to say anything and just started taking notes. When class was over, she got up and left right away.

She needed to take her frustration out on something. When Kairi got home, she went right down to her basement. A punching bag was hanging from the ceiling. She pictured Sora and Namine together and hit it until her knuckles hurt too much.

Kairi was supposed to be in Namine's place. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

_'I'm not going to cry. Fucking idiot.'_ Kairi took one last swing. The punching bag slung backwards and nearly hit the wall. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down before going upstairs to lock herself in her room. She got out her phone and texted Riku.

_"I'm pissed off. Let's hang out later."_

It took about ten minutes for Riku to respond. _"Sure, but it will have to be after the game. I take it you're not coming this time?"_

_"Don't ask stupid questions. I don't want to be anywhere near Sora. He's lucky I didn't just cut him."_

"_I'll talk to him, okay? Just chill out."_

o-o-o

"Riku, pass the ball!"

Riku's chest was pounding as he quickly kicked a soccer ball across the field to his teammate, Tidus. Tidus intercepted the ball and Riku headed towards the goal to wait for another pass. Two seconds later, the ball came flying straight at him from Sora's direction. Riku positioned himself just right and headbutted it towards the net. The goalie blocked it just in time. The whistle was blown and the game was over. It was a tie.

"Hey, man... don't worry about it. We'll win next time." Sora patted his best friend on the back, but Riku moved away. The rest of their teammates went ahead of them, congratulating them on the way. Riku and Sora went out into the parking lot and loaded their bags into the trunk of Riku's car. Sora took off his muddy shoes and put them in the back seat without thinking about it, which irritated Riku. He was already stressed from Kairi's mood.

"Dude, put those in your bag." Riku demanded, disgusted at the sight of them. He had just cleaned out his car and vacuumed. Sora was texting.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Sora said and set his phone down. He got out and put them in the trunk. Riku noticed that a text came in from Namine when Sora got back in.

"Man... she's so beautiful." Sora looked dreamily at his phone. "Can you believe that I'm going out with Namine Yonehara?"

"No... how did that happen?" Riku asked as he kept his eyes on the road, "I didn't know that you liked her."

"Who _doesn't_ like her?" Sora texted her back. "I asked her out last weekend. We were pretty discreet about it all week... but then I said _screw it_ and just decided to come out with it. I'm so glad that I did... but..."

"But?" Riku waited for him to continue.

"Kairi is so pissed off because I didn't tell her, I guess."

"Yeah, that's exactly why." Riku said sarcastically.

"She's such a drama queen... and honestly, I'm afraid of her. She's not a black belt for nothing... but I do wonder how she became one with her anger issues..." Sora shuddered.

Riku just had to ask.

"Could you _ever..._ see yourself..." he stopped for a moment; he knew Kairi would kill him if he asked this, but his curiosity was getting the best of him. It may not be the best time since Sora already had a girlfriend, so he changed the tense. "Did you ever... consider... dating Kairi?"

"Psh... Me and Kairi?" Sora merely laughed. "It's hard to even think of her that way. She's like one of the guys."

"...oh." Riku trailed off.

"Why? Do you like her?"

Riku almost missed the upcoming stop sign and slammed on his breaks. Sora saved himself from flinging forward by holding onto the handle above him. Sweat began to roll down his face as his nerves got the best of him.

"Dude, are you okay?" Sora gave him a worried look. The person behind them honked. Riku turned into the neighborhood they lived in.

"I-I'm fine. I'm just tired."

Sora wasn't sure of what to think of the situation, but he let it go anyway. "Well, I'm going to apologize to Kairi at least. I didn't want her to blow everything out of proportion."

"Right."

Riku dropped Sora off at his house; just three houses down from his own. Kairi lived on the next street over. He pulled out his phone and told her through text that he just needed a shower and then she could come over.

"Alright. I want to watch the scariest shit you've got."

"How does Visitor Q sound? It's not scary, just really, really gross."

"Whatever. Did you talk to Sora?"

"Yeah, but there's nothing worth saying."

"Tell me anyway!"

"I will when you get here."

Kairi didn't respond after that. Riku sat in his car for a little bit before going inside to wash up.

He didn't have the slightest clue of what was about to transpire.

O-o-o

o-o-o

**A/N:** Well, there you have it. Newest story up! What did you think of the first chapter? Go on, let me know in a lovely **review**! Lots of drama to come! I can't guarantee fast updates since I'm having surgery tomorrow and surprisingly I have a life now, but I hope you stay tuned! We're just getting started ;D

And if you know what Visitor Q is and have seen it... well, fuck.


	2. Forget Him

**A/N:** One song I just love listening to when I write is the Romance Theme from Skyward Sword. It's so calm and sweet and helps me relax and write better. If it's a sad scene, I listen to Xion's "Triste" song or whatever. Anyone else have tricks like these to put them "in the zone?" Lol.

Also, I'm not one to take things slow in stories. Sorry if you don't like that. I'm not even sure how long this story will be, but it may be only about nine to twelve chapters. The build up will come later! I tend to write my stories with pre-existing feelings, anyway.

This story is rated T.

My surgery went fine, just so you all know.

On with the chapter!

o-o-o

**Final Call**

**Two.**  
>"Forget Him"<p>

o-o-o

Riku was always nervous whenever Kairi was coming over; especially if they were going to watch a movie together. Normally, she would take the opposite couch and stretch out on her stomach, no matter how skimpy she dressed. Kairi didn't seem to consider how her womanly parts affected him and Riku wasn't sure what to think of that. She seemed to forget that her X chromosome even mattered at all around her best friend.

He threw on a t-shirt and sweatpants and tied his long hair back into a ponytail. Riku recalled his conversation with Sora in the car earlier as he brushed his teeth. _'Did he catch on?'_ The last person Riku wanted to know that he had this huge crush on Kairi was Sora. He had no idea how it would affect the trio's friendship if one of them were to take her, but it seemed like Sora had already made it clear that he didn't have feelings for her, so now all Riku had to do was figure out how to reveal to Kairi that he was in love with her all along. With Sora dating someone else, it may be a little easier now, believe it or not. However, Riku was still considerate of Kairi's tendencies to go up and down with her moods whenever Sora was involved. He knew that he had to take things slow no matter what.

Riku left the bathroom and grabbed the phone to order some pizza. Kairi liked extra cheese, extra sauce and mushrooms all over, but hated everything else. He was amazed and somewhat worried about how much he knew about her. Kairi was allergic to bees and peanuts. She hated any temperature under seventy five degrees Fahrenheit. Her hearing was very selective, so he had to word things just right to make sure she was listening. Riku felt like he had mastered this skill, but there were still times when he wondered if she was even paying attention at all. Kairi was definitely a piece of work, (in a great way) and Riku was prepared for anything she threw at him, whether it was a witty remark or a fist in his face.

...or so he thought.

Just as he expected, she came over in short gym shorts and a low cut red tank top. Kairi was far from the promiscuous type, but damn it, her wardrobe really didn't help. Riku tried not to peek as she walked right by without noticing a thing.

"Parents aren't home?" Kairi asked, noting the emptiness of the house.

He stared anyway.

"Riku?" She blinked twice at him with her hands on her hips.

Riku snapped out of it."Oh... Nah. They went to the festival in Traverse Town for the week. It's their twenty year anniversary." avoiding eye contact, Riku set some pillows on the couch for her. "By the way, I ordered pizza."

"Extra cheese, extra sauce?"

"And mushrooms. Nothing else." Riku added proudly. A satisfied grin formed on her face as she made herself comfortable on the couch. Riku admired her for a moment before taking his spot in the recliner.

"What are you doing over there? Let's cuddle." Kairi said sheepishly and patted the cushion next to her. She blushed a little, unsure of why she just said that.

"W-what?" Riku asked incredulously. No, Kairi wasn't the promiscuous type at all. _'Did I hear her correctly...?'_

"I want to be held. Come on, Riku. We're best friends, right?"

"What are you saying?"

"You're thinking too much." Kairi sighed and lay down on her back. "Never mind."

"I mean... w-we... could... if... you... want. I just... I didn't expect..." He was blushing madly and could barely even form a sentence.

"Just put the movie on. I'm still pissed about Sora." Her mood did a complete 180 from when she got here. For a moment, Riku almost thought that they didn't have to even mention him, but then remembered that that was the entire reason she came over in the first place.

"Um... okay. Are you sure?" He asked as he straightened up in his chair.

"You took too long to respond."

"Give me another chance!" Riku pouted. Wait, why was he asking for this? What happened to taking things slow? Besides, he was starting to do his 'puppy eye' expression and he could see that Kairi was really considering changing her mind. She sat up slowly, not taking her eyes off of him.

_'I don't know what I'm doing, but I really want to be held right now...'_ Kairi thought to herself as she gestured for him to come over to the couch and sit with her. It felt a little weird for her to be doing this, but she didn't want to stop now. Riku came and sat next to her. This went against everything he ever thought would happen, even if it was just "innocent cuddling" in her eyes. He was simply comforting a friend that he just so happened to have the biggest crush on.

Right?

o-o-o

Sora stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around himself. After wiping the fog off of the mirror, he decided to start shaving. A text came in from Namine.

"Kairi seemed upset today. Are you sure this is the best thing to do?"

"I don't know. I just don't have the guts to tell her yet." Sora responded. "Thanks a lot for helping me out."

"Yeah, well... if Roxas found out..."

"I've already explained everything to him. He _is_ my cousin, after all. He knows me better than Riku. He's completely fine with you helping me out as long as I don't kiss you on the lips or do anything more than that."

"I really think you should just tell her, though." Namine texted back.

After Sora was done shaving, he got dressed and went into his room. He knew that pretending to have a girlfriend only added fuel to the flame, but he really was a coward under that charismatic exterior. It was a mixture of insecurity and denial—Sora just didn't think Kairi liked him that way. In his mind, it made sense to sort of... _see what happened_ if he were to get a girlfriend, even if it wasn't real...

He knew it wasn't right to do this.

Sora had a picture of himself, Kairi and Riku on his nightstand. They were all at the beach and smiling. Sora actually had plenty of pictures with his two best friends, but he liked this one the most; particularly because of how happy they looked together. That was their last day of middle school and Riku's first year of high school. Things seemed much simpler back then. Now a few years have gone by and Sora's feelings only grew more as they continued to get older and more mature.

He didn't know how much longer he could hold it in, though.

O-o-o

Riku and Kairi sat side by side on the couch. He finally gathered up the courage to put his arm around her. Kairi leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. So far, so good, right?

"You forgot to start the movie." Kairi told him.

"Oh, my bad..." Riku looked around for the controller. It was sitting on the arm rest of the recliner he had just left, but Riku didn't want to get up. He didn't know if he would be able to come back and do this again.

"Aren't you going to start it?" Kairi looked up at him, but stayed in place.

"Actually," Riku tried to come up with something fast, "I think this is better." He slyly moved his other arm and grabbed onto her hand with his. Kairi was a bit startled, but she didn't move away, either. "I'm sorry that Sora did this to you, Kairi." he said in a low tone. "You deserve... so much better."

"...you really think so?"

He could feel the confession itching to come out, but Riku held it in with all his might. He would rather beat around the bush for years instead of let Kairi know of his deepest feelings. "Kairi, I know you. You'll get through this." he choked out. "I know that you... hate looking vulnerable, but to tell you the truth," Riku paused as he locked eyes with her, "I feel like... I need to protect you. I know that you hate hearing that because you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, but I just-"

Riku was abruptly interrupted.

Every single word, every single feeling, every single thought that he had was thrown out the window the moment Kairi's lips touched his. Riku couldn't tell whether he was dreaming or not. She placed her hand on his cheek and only forced the kiss on him even more, but Riku was too stunned to respond just yet. Perfect couldn't begin to describe it; his mind was blank and all he could feel was her aching to be close to him. Kissing Kairi was nothing like he ever expected. Riku swooped her underneath him and kissed her right back, ignoring the surprised expression that appeared on her face. With his gentle touch, he made sure that she was okay, even though she was the one that started this. After a slight, timid nod from her, Riku's lips met hers again and the two teens began drowning in each other's passion. Everything that Riku had dreamed of over the years was tangled in this very moment and he wasn't about to stop now.

Riku wanted to rid Kairi of her pain.

_'I'll make her forget that she even had feelings for Sora in the first place...'_

Kairi had never felt anything like this. A wave of emotions came over her as Riku kissed her delicate skin and massaged her hair with his hands. To her, it almost felt like these emotions he was showing her had been suppressed for a long time and she was unsure of why it made her feel so... good. To get this sort of attention from someone that actually cared for her was phenomenal. He didn't have to say it; it showed with each kiss on her lips, cheeks and neck. Riku didn't dare go any further than this, and he didn't need to.

They weren't sure how long this went on, but when the doorbell rang they both freaked out. Riku fell onto the floor and Kairi tried to regain her composure.

"Delivery!"

They both tried to catch their breaths. Riku had forgotten all about the pizza.

"I-I'll be there in a minute!" Riku called out. After a few deep breaths, he reached in for one more kiss. Kairi didn't back away. She didn't flinch when he stroked her hair.

She simply smiled.

Yup, he _definitely_ wasn't prepared for this.

o-o-o

**A/N:** PHEW! It was starting to get heated! Damn that pizza man...

It's all downhill from here, folks... maybe!

In the next chapter I will also introduce some more characters. Yay! Also, more into Kairi and Sora's POV's.

Some of you were mentioning how cliché this story sounded.  
>Let me tell you, I will do my best to make it anything but that.<p>

Leave a **review** and have a nice day! Thanks to everyone who is supporting this story already! I was very surprised, especially during this difficult time!


	3. Too Little, Too Late

**A/N:** Hello, lovelies! I'm back with a new chapter and holy fudge SunSun-PUA font is friggin' small. o_o'

Randomness over.

Chapter, STARTO! Please leave a **review** when you're done! :)

o-o-o

**Chapter Three**  
>Too Little, Too Late<p>

o-o-o

Riku and Kairi's little make-out session turned into two hours of cuddling—in his bed. Kairi wasn't sure what she was doing or what this even meant for their friendship now, but she actually liked it. Riku on the other hand was on cloud nine. Kairi was snuggled comfortably in his arms; her body was pressed slightly against his and his leg was tangled between hers. Riku placed his hand on her cheek and gently kissed her forehead; smiling as he looked into her eyes.

"Ahem..." Kairi couldn't hold her gaze with him. She just blushed and tried to stare elsewhere as Riku admired her. This was what he always wanted. Kairi rested her head on his chest and shut her eyes. She could fall asleep like this.

"So..." Riku started, "is it better than you imagined?"

"Hm?" Kairi hummed.

"I mean... I don't know what I mean," he chuckled, "I'm just really happy right now."

"Strangely, so am I."

Riku was incredibly relieved to hear her say that. For the past few hours, they had been doing nothing but kissing and holding each other. She could have stopped at any moment, right?

But of course... he had to wonder. He knew that nobody could get over someone they were infatuated with that quickly. Riku knew he was awesome and all... but that just wasn't realistic.

_'What if I'm being used...?'_

_'Why don't I care much right now?'_

He could worry about that later. Right now, the girl he loved was sleeping soundly on his chest. Riku ran his fingers slowly through her soft hair as he stared at the ceiling. With his other hand, he lightly moved his fingers up and down her arm. Her skin was cold, but there was no way to get under the covers without waking her.

_'If I wake her up, will she go home?'_

"Hey," he whispered to her. Kairi mumbled something but didn't move much. "We should get under the covers."

"Riku..." Kairi was almost inaudible, but they were close enough for him to catch it.

"Yes?"

Her tired state made him a little nervous. Instead of saying something else, Kairi moved so that he could pull the blanket over both of them. Riku did so... and then went back to holding her. Kairi quickly fell asleep again.

_'Sora has stressed her out for years... and he doesn't even know it. I will surely change that...'_

o-o-o

Kairi had Riku on her mind the entire weekend. She had gone from gushing to over-thinking so many times. She had no idea that he harbored such feelings for her and she felt terrible for ignoring him for so many years. He didn't have to tell her directly. From the way he held her to delicate kisses... the way he smiled at her, she _knew_ he was serious.

_'But how could it just go unnoticed...? Was I __that__ obsessed with Sora...?'_

Kairi began reminiscing on all the times Riku had been there for her. Everything she could remember that he had done for her, especially the little things. Whenever she would rant about something, he would calmly listen. He would then proceed to make her laugh, but in a more subtle way than Sora would. Sora lived for the moment, but Riku was a lot more calculating and logical. Riku worried about her overall well being, Sora just tried covering it up for a little while. Maybe Sora didn't know how to comfort someone, which she didn't blame him for, but she had to admit that Riku was better and more mature.

Kairi never thought she would be comparing Sora to Riku.

_'But the way he kissed me...'_

Kairi wondered if he was home.

For the first time in her life, she actually _missed_ Riku and wanted to see him.

_'Is it like I imagined...?'_ Kairi pondered on what that could possibly mean. Of course she had never imagined such a scenario with the silver-haired best friend, but with Sora instead. _'So by Riku asking me... is he asking me to compare what we did to what happened in my dreams with Sora...?'_

Kairi blushed at the thought. Nothing beat the real thing. Even her deepest desires couldn't compare to the passion that Riku had with her.

_'So to answer his question, it was __nothing__ like I imagined...'_

And that was a good thing.

o-o-o

Monday came. Riku stood in Kairi's driveway. He too had her on his mind, but he didn't want to come off as clingy, so he didn't talk to her much since she left his house Saturday morning when he had to go to a soccer game.

Withholding his excitement around Sora and everyone else after spending the night with Kairi was one of the toughest things he had ever done. He didn't know how Kairi would see him now and he couldn't just assume that they were more than friends simply because of one night.

But damn it, he was fucking happy.

His confidence was so over the top, that he had never played a better soccer game in his life. He had no idea how this happened. He scored five goals in the first half, breaking his record of three in one half. The coach had to beg him to calm down in the second half so they wouldn't look like jerks since the other team hadn't scored any. Something about good sportsmanship and blah blah blah...

Okay, maybe Riku had a lot of trouble keeping his excitement in. The only thing that would have been better was if Kairi was cheering him on during the game.

Even Sora noticed the change, but he merely congratulated Riku for doing such a great job.

Now was the moment of truth. Kairi was going to walk out of her front door any moment. She didn't know that he was there; she usually took the bus to school. Riku leaned against his car and waited. Was this weird? Creepy?

No way. They were best friends.

The door clicked and Kairi stepped out. She dug around in her purse for the key. She seemed to be in a hurry. Riku heard the bus coming down the street..

"Kairi!" he called out happily, waving at her. The bus stopped at the end of the street.

"Gah, I'm going to miss it!" Kairi yelled as she finally found her key. She locked the door and started running off. Riku's mouth gaped open.

"Really?!" He face-palmed.

"NOOO!" Kairi watched in defeat as the bus drove off.

"Um, Kairi..."

"I'm going to be late..." she whined, apparently forgetting that Riku had a car.

"You can ride with me."

"Oh, Riku! You always save the day!" she threw her arms around him, but only for a short moment before running off to get into the passenger seat.

_'She is so cute.'_

Riku got into the driver's seat and started the car. Kairi wasn't looking at him.

"Good morning." he said.

"M-morning..."

"Is something wrong?" he noticed that she was nervous.

"I... um..." for the first time, she was speechless in front of him. Kairi stared out of her window. She was afraid that if she looked at him, she would blush madly and forget everything, but that seemed to already be the case by just being here. "We should... talk."

_'Shit...'_

"Uh, sure..."

"I've been thinking... a lot..." Kairi started.

o-o-o

Sora met up with Namine in the hallway before classes started. He hadn't seen Kairi or Riku yet.

"Sora, I don't know how much longer I can keep this act up. Roxas told me he's transferring here." Namine whispered to him.

"I know. I just heard this weekend."

"I tell you what... I'll talk to Kairi for you, if you want."

"No, she'll beat you up."

"You think I can't take a few punches?" Namine giggled. "She won't touch me."

"What are you going to say...?" Sora gave her a nervous look.

"I'll ask her what she thinks of you and me together and then if she would like it better if we broke up."

"Are you crazy?!" Sora yelled, but Namine covered his mouth. People were watching them.

"Heh, Sora, _honey_, it will be _fine_." she hugged him just to put everyone at ease. After the attention was directed elsewhere, Namine let go and gave him a sympathetic look. "I know how much she means to you. Please, just let me-"

Namine trailed off. She was distracted by something behind Sora—something she could not believe was actually there, but as they got closer, she knew she wasn't being delusional.

Kairi and Riku were coming down the hallway—holding hands.

"Um... Sora, let's... go to class..." Namine tugged at his arm, but she was already too obvious. Sora turned and spotted them.

His heart sunk at the sight.

o-o-o

Kairi was so surprised that she was able to walk by Sora without even making eye contact. She was so engrossed with her emotions for Riku that she couldn't see anyone else as they walked hand in hand through the hall. It felt real. It felt amazing.

Maybe she was diving head first into this, but would she really call it _too fast _after they have known each other for the majority of their lives?

After weighing all the pros and cons between her two best friends, Riku was clearly the better choice in the long run. As much as she crushed on Sora over the years, she was honestly sick of waiting for him. Sora had a chance to be with her, but he chose Namine. No form of rejection could be worse than the one you've been longing for going out with someone else.

Now she knew how Riku felt and she wanted to make that up to him.

Sora was simply too late.

o-o-o

**A/N:** I'm going to stop it here. What do you think? **Review**!

Sometimes you're too blind to see what's right in front of you.  
>-agree?<p>

Random: The KH OST is just amazing.

Other story progress as of 9/7/14  
><strong>All or Nothing:<strong> 2nd half of the story in planning mode.

That's all!


	4. Control

**A/N: **Please note the rating and summary change.

I**mportant Disclaimer:** I am in no way condoning drug use. I have never done it myself, but I know people that have. Please don't be influenced. If you already smoke pot, good for you. Not here to judge. Also, since I have now included these things, the rating will have to change to M. Proceed with caution. This story will not be for the kiddies.

o-o-o

**Chapter Four**  
>Control<p>

o-o-o

Kairi and Riku's first week being official was nothing less of blissful. Riku ended up confessing that he had felt this way for a long time. Kairi wasn't used to all of the affection and attention he gave her. She only had one other boyfriend in her life, but it obviously didn't work out since she had feelings for Sora.

"Hey, babe." Riku appeared behind her while she grabbed book from her locker and kissed her cheek from behind. Kairi turned and smiled up at him. She shut her locker and they walked to her next class together. She hugged him before going in and he went off to his own class.

"Kairi! You two are _so_ cute! I always knew you would get together!" her friend Selphie squealed excitedly as she entered the classroom and sat down. Everyone else seemed to be pretty envious of her as well... and to Kairi, that felt good. Namine sat in the front of the room, but occasionally glanced in her direction.

_'I have a boyfriend... and he's my best friend...'_ Kairi reminisced as the teacher talked about something. She wasn't even worried about seeing Sora in her last class at this point—if he even went to it. He hadn't gone all week. These days, all Kairi could think about was what she and Riku would do together after school. _'Should we go bowling? A movie? Stay at his house?'_ Kairi tried to hold back from giggling at the thought.

During lunch, she met up with Riku and sat at a table with Selphie and Olette. "We need to study for the test," Olette began, "want to form a study group?"

"Sure." Riku agreed, but Kairi was stroking his leg underneath the table teasingly. He tried to keep a straight face.

"I can't," Selphie pouted. "I have different projects I'm doing with art and I have to babysit."

"Aww, I don't want to feel like a third wheel." Olette groaned. She knew exactly what the couple was doing.

"We'll behave," Kairi laughed. "I promise." Just then, Sora walked by with Namine and a few others. Kairi was able to catch him staring, but immediately looked away.

_'He made up his mind. I'm with Riku now.'_ Kairi told herself as she leaned against Riku's shoulder.

o-o-o

Riku arrived at soccer practice that afternoon. He set his bag down and tightened the shoe strings on his cleats and made sure his shin guards were in tact. Tidus joined him.

"Sora isn't here yet," Tidus said after he took a sip of water.

"It's still pretty early."

"He skipped last time." Tidus noted.

But as time went by and practice started, Sora never showed up. _'Could he really be that upset about me and Kairi?'_ Riku pondered during break time. He knew that was the reason; he could see it in Sora's face when they passed him in the hallway—not once, but several times that day. _'If Sora didn't like her, why would he be acting that way? Kairi said he wasn't in last period.'_ He smirked when Kairi's face appeared in his head.

He had her.

But he wondered if he should be worried about him. Something didn't feel right.

o-o-o

The Sunset Internet Cafe was a few blocks away from the high school. Before Sora joined the soccer team, he frequented it to play computer games. But he also knew that someone else would be here. Sora went into the back room. A group of guys were smoking weed and drinking vodka. Amongst them was his older brother, Vanitas. A high school drop out and recently bailed out for petty crimes, Sora knew he shouldn't be around him.

But his symptoms were coming back.

"Little bro, is that... you?" Vanitas was already stoned; he could tell. He had smoked so much his eyes were turning red. (This was normal). Sora took a seat next to him. The other guys, Axel and Ventus weren't as high as his brother. Axel offered him a blunt. Sora didn't hesitate to take a whiff of it and fall back on the couch. He knew if he was caught doing this that he would be kicked off the soccer team, but anything was better than letting his depression surface. He took another. Vanitas and his friends were always smoking back here. The workers didn't even care anymore; as long as they weren't disruptive. Vanitas and Axel knew some dangerous people that could shut them up in a heartbeat, so nobody messed with them. Ventus was what they considered to be a 'new recruit.'

Sora shut his eyes and relaxed as he waited for the weed to take the effect he was looking for. Only Vanitas and his cousin Roxas knew the severity of his condition, so they didn't question him when he came to them for a smoke. Axel and Ventus had an idea, but they weren't ones to pry into other people's business.

Riku and Kairi didn't have a clue. He didn't want them to know.

Vanitas leaned forward and poured himself another shot. He gulped it down and dropped the shot glass as he laughed like an idiot. Sora knew that mixing the two wasn't the best idea, but Vanitas normally didn't leave this area until midnight.

"Hey, Axel... got any... powder?" Vanitas words slurred as the toxic ingredients flowed throughout his body. Alarmed, Sora shook him.

"What the hell?" Sora glared at him. He had no idea that his brother used _cocaine_.

"You got a problem, man?" Axel asked coolly, pulling the white substance out of his pocket. "We've been letting you smoke our blunts for free. If we want to do this, fuck off and get over it. Or... you could try some."

"Are you kidding?" Sora said incredulously. "I only came here to chill out."

"Then shut up and do that." Axel said, "Two thousand dollars." he told Vanitas.

"Yup," Vanitas pulled a wad of money out of his pocket, shocking Sora. "Hey, count this for me. I'm too fucked up." He handed it to Sora.

"Where did you get all of this?!" Sora didn't know how many 'surprises' he could take today. He definitely didn't want Vanitas using the 'harder' drugs. Marijuana, fine... but...cocaine? Honestly though, he wasn't around Vanitas enough to know what he did away from home. The only time he saw him was when he came here and that was generally only twice a month whenever he would start feeling down. Vanitas moved out over two years ago. In fact, Sora wasn't even sure where his brother lived. He wouldn't be surprised if the internet cafe was his temporary place to crash.

"UGH, you're taking too long! Give me that." Vanitas grabbed the money from him, pulled out a stack and gave it to Axel without even counting it. After Axel conformed that it was way more than he asked for, he smirked and gladly handed Vanitas the bag. Vanitas excitedly put it in his pocket. "Thank ya!"

_'If Riku or Kairi found out I was here they would kill me...'_ Sora thought as he began to feel more uncomfortable. _'No... I can't let it control me...'_ Sora inhaled once again.

Seeing Kairi and Riku together like that really upset him. He had always been in love with Kairi.

And now Riku had his girl.

Riku won again. Sora couldn't never compete with the stronger, more handsome and mature Riku. They were best friends, but Sora was always jealous of him. He always felt like he wasn't good enough, simply because Riku was better at everything. Riku and Kairi were so happy together. Sora should have expected this. Of course he couldn't have her.

He felt ugly... and stupid... and worthless...

...just like before...

_'It's over...'_

"Sora, why are you here?" Vanitas waved his hand in front of his face. "Are you moving? Or is that me?"

"What do you-" Sora paused. There was no reason to explain himself. Vanitas was gone.

"I'm counting ten sheep... no, fifty... wait... ten again..." Vanitas laughed, "I'm hilarious."

"You're a fucking moron," Ventus joked.

Sora was starting to think that he fit in here more than anywhere else. It was the only place he could feel at ease. Maybe that was because of the drugs, but Sora didn't want to think about it. His father was in prison and his mother was struggling as a waitress. He and Vanitas grew up in some of the worst conditions for the majority of their lives. Just recently, their aunt Rinoa took them into her home, which was on the same street as Riku's house. For the longest time, Sora depended on his brother. He wasn't used to the hospitality at his aunt's house. He wasn't used to having his own room and bed. His best meals were at Riku and Kairi's house, but now his aunt did everything for him.

None of his peers knew about this. Kairi and Riku didn't know the half of it. Why didn't his best friends know anything about him? Because whenever Sora would recall the memories, he would become extremely depressed.

Now he just smoked pot to relieve the pain.

Besides, what did he have to lose at this point? Pretty soon, Kairi and Riku would abandon him.

"Next time you'll have to pay for your share." Axel said to Sora, interrupting his thoughts.

"Okay. I think... I'll go now..." he set the blunt on the table and got up, but nearly lost balance. Every time Sora came here, he smoked more than he could handle. He had no choice but to stay there until he was able to walk normally. Defeated, Sora plopped back onto the couch next to his stoned brother.

"Sora, maybe you'll have a different opinion about cocaine if you tried it." Axel suggested. At the end of the day, Sora knew that Axel was in it for the money. He didn't smoke anything more than weed.

"I'll... pass..." Sora could feel the effects now. His phone started to buzz in his pocket. Riku was calling. Instead of answering, he smoked once again.

He was going to be here for a while.

o-o-o

**A/N:** Please leave a **review**! If you don't like the direction this story is going, you don't have to read it.

**Random shout outs!**  
>Princess-Xion, , J1210, The V-Blade, MasterKaze, Fujubop, laindessiel, Link234521, Englishhedgehog13, Moonlight queen, Jesusfreak9224, agentmystery789 and SapphireRayneStorm and any guest reviews!<p>

Thank you ALL for continuing to support my work!


	5. Rushing to the ER

**A/N:** as you read this story, I pose this question. How well do you _really_ know someone? What do you do when you find out that something they have done goes completely against everything you ever thought they were?

On with the story.

O-o-o

**Chapter Five**  
>Rushing to the ER<p>

O-o-o

Riku and Kairi were making out on his bed. Things were getting heated as they got caught up in the moment. Riku, a little worried that he was crushing the puny girl beneath him, stopped to make sure she was alright.

"Well, your hair keeps getting in my mouth." Kairi confessed.

"Sorry, love." he said and reached for a hair tie on his dresser. Before he was able to tie his hair back, Kairi stopped him. She had a devilish look in her eyes that sent him into a frenzy. She grabbed him and pulled him down; her hands moving in rapid motions across his back as they made out more. Kairi tugged on his shirt. Riku got the hint, but he was so into her that he began wondering what he would get in return. He felt a little bad for thinking such a thing, but he couldn't deny how crazy she made him. He took off his shirt and threw it aside, then proceeded to lift her shirt up a little and kiss her stomach. This surprised Kairi; she flinched as his lips left trails on her body. Riku teased her with one hand going right under her breast, but not any further, as if that area was forbidden to him. He had to wait for her to approve.

Riku moved up and kissed her neck, continuing to massage her stomach, arms and legs. Kairi didn't hesitate to touch him, either. She always heard other girls swooning over his perfectly toned abs, but now that she was touching them first hand, it sent a wave of excitement through her that she could hardly control. Kairi grabbed his hand and cupped it around her breast and then kissed him ferociously. Riku took her invitation without fail and met her halfway; Kairi pulled his hair as he began to lift her shirt up and reveal her bra.

"Can I take it off...?" he whispered in her ear, sending chills down her spine.

"Y-yes..."

He sat her up. Kairi lifted her hands in the air so he could slide her shirt off. Once that he was done, he kissed her gently and massaged her breasts once more before undoing it. He didn't expect her to reach for his belt buckle, but he didn't stop her either. Kairi unfastened it and undid the button. Riku let her take control as he lay onto his back. She slid his pants off and threw them onto the floor.

"Kairi, you're so beautiful..." he told her, stroking her hair as she kissed his stomach and all over his chest and neck. Their relationship was in overdrive and he could barely keep up with the passion (and arousal) she put him through on a daily basis. Riku never thought in a million years that she would go down on him in the first week.

Then, as if hell opened up and decided to ruin his entire life, his cell phone went off. To make things worse, it was the weirdest ring tone imaginable—the my little pony song. (it was his default for everyone but Sora's cell phone and Kairi; someone dared him a long time ago but he forgot to change it). Kairi stopped what she was doing and laughed hysterically while Riku tried to turn it off, but when he saw it was coming from Sora's house phone, he decided to compose himself and answer. Kairi rubbed his chest seductively.

"Hello?" Riku cleared his throat and tried to focus as Kairi's hand moved down towards his manhood, just barely touching it and back up to his torso.

"Riku? This is Sora's aunt, Rinoa... just wondering, is he with you? He never came home from school. I figured he had practice today, but... it's eleven o'clock and I'm worried. He won't answer his phone either."

"Uh, no... he's not here." Riku debated on telling her that he wasn't at practice either, but decided not to. Kairi noticed the situation and rested her hand. "If I see him, I'll send him home. He's not at Kairi's either; she's with me."

"Oh..." there was a hint of sadness in her voice, "well, thanks anyway."

"He'll show up." Riku reassured her. He hung up and turned to Kairi. She heard it all and her mood had changed substantially.

"Should we call him?" Kairi asked, suddenly feeling bad. Riku merely shrugged; he hated for this moment to be ruined by something like this, especially since it probably meant nothing anyway. There was no way that Sora could be _that_ upset about them being together. He was probably just out with Namine and some of his new "friends."

It didn't make any sense.

Kairi got out her phone and texted Sora. She hesitated and looked at Riku, as if she was asking if it was okay. He sighed and nodded and then she pressed send. A few minutes went by and nothing came. Kairi and Riku just lay in bed, cuddled up against each other in nothing but their underwear. The mood was gone and now was replaced with worry for their best friend. He didn't text or call either of them until two hours later when Kairi had fallen asleep and Riku was almost asleep. His phone went off and Riku answered immediately.

"Sora? Where are you?"

"I'm..."

"Sora?"

Kairi woke up in alarm. She grabbed the phone from him. "Sora? Sora, are you okay?"

"Kairi... is that... you?" his voice sounded weak. Before she could respond, he hung up. They desperately tried calling back, but eventually his phone was turned off. Panicked, the couple decided to go and look for him. They got dressed and rushed out to Riku's car, only to find Sora standing in the driveway and staring up at Riku's window. He didn't notice them coming towards him at first.

"Sora, are you _drunk_?!" Riku got in front of him and inspected his face. Kairi stood behind and watched; she had never seen Sora like this. He couldn't stand up straight and he obviously wasn't completely _there_.

"What were you two doing? Hey, want to go... over to the dock? Like old times... we can go..." all of a sudden, Sora collapsed; Riku caught him just in time. Kairi gasped in terror.

"Kairi, open the door for me. We have to take him to the hospital!" Riku shouted and carried Sora over to his car. Kairi was in too much shock to move, but once she realized that she needed to hurry she quickly opened the car door so Riku could carefully put Sora in the back seat. He made sure his friend was secure and then hurried to start the car. "Kairi, please call Sora's aunt and let her know what's going on." Kairi did what he told her to and got out her phone, but it was hard to concentrate.

_'What is going on?! Why is this happening...?! That can't just be from drinking...'_

He sped towards the hospital; his mind racing. _'Was he with his crackhead brother? No... Sora wouldn't do drugs...'_ So many possibilities were jumbled around in his head. He knew that Sora was depressed in middle school and on medication, but he seemed to be doing so much better the past few years. Sora may have been easily influenced, but Riku just didn't want to believe it. They made it to the emergency room. Kairi rushed in for help and it didn't take long for nurses to come out with a stretcher. Riku and Kairi backed off as they let them do their job. He put his arm around her and held her close to him.

"Should we wait here...?" Kairi asked, not ready to confront the mixed feelings of anguish and denial in her head.

"Of course," somehow, Riku was a little more mentally stable at the moment. He led her into the waiting room and they sat down. Kairi was still trembling. Rinoa ran into the room, along with her husband Leon. Riku waved them down.

"What's going on?!" she pressed, looking around for her nephew.

"They took him back. We haven't heard anything." Riku responded, keeping his grip around Kairi. He tapped his foot furiously as he imagined what in the world could have happened.

"Oh gosh..." Rinoa panicked. "I bet his stupid brother is behind this somehow..."

"Rinoa, let's not jump to conclusions." Leon told her. "Sora has been doing a lot better."

"That's what I'm thinking..." Riku spoke. Kairi gave them confused looks. Although Riku didn't know much about Sora's depression, he knew a lot more than Kairi did. Sora thought Riku didn't have a clue, but Riku was way more observant than that. He never told anyone, though; he just kept it to himself as Sora continued to get better.

_'Could it be happening again...?'_ Riku asked himself.

"Yamada," a nurse appeared at the doorway saying Sora's last name. All four of them rose and hurried over to her. She brought them into a more private area. "Are you his parents?" she asked Rinoa and Leon.

"Legal guardians. We're his aunt and uncle... m'am... what's wrong?"

"Well," the nurse glanced over at Kairi and Riku, as if she was holding back because they were here.

"They're his best friends, it's fine." Leon confirmed.

"Okay. I was just wondering... does your nephew have a history of drug abuse? Particularly... cocaine?"

"WHAT?!" everyone yelled in unison.

"We found dangerous levels of not only cocaine, but alcohol _and_ marijuana in his system. This is a _deadly_ combination. If he would have gotten here any later, he probably would not have made it."

Kairi just wanted to cry. They must have been mistaken. The Sora she knew would _never_, in a million years take _**any**_ kind of drugs.

"The mixture of cocaine and alcohol alone form a new form of high called cocaethylene. The alcohol prevents the cocaine from flowing properly throughout the bloodstream and it's supposed to cause a longer lasting effect on the body." the nurse said, "My guess is... he started out smoking the marijuana, probably in conjunction with the alcohol, and then in an impaired judgment, threw cocaine in the mix. It happens all the time."

"Sora would never-!" Kairi yelled, but was quieted by Riku.

"When this happens," the nurse continued with a straight face, "blood clots and even respiratory arrest are possible. Even the healthiest people can collapse from the effects, which is probably what happened."

"So is he going to be okay?!" Rinoa begged for an answer.

"Time will tell. Right now we have him on IV fluid with a tube down his throat that will help him breathe. We will have to keep him until his condition is stabilized and his blood pressure returns to normal."

Kairi looked as if she had just seen a ghost; Riku tried to hold back from overreacting and Rinoa burst into tears. _'This... can't be right... just the other day, Sora was happy and smiling... and then... all of a sudden...'_ tears filled her eyes as she tried to comprehend the intensity of the situation.

But she couldn't.

o-o-o

Kairi spent the night at Riku's that night. They had to get up for school in a few hours, but neither of them could sleep.

"I don't know what to think right now..." Kairi was still in shock. The image of Sora collapsing right before her replayed over and over in her head. The one she so blindly loved all this time was going through something... something she didn't even have the slightest clue about. "Riku, earlier Rinoa blamed Sora's brother... and you agreed with her..." she looked at him, hoping he knew something.

"That's the only explanation I can think of. His stupid brother made him try it."

Kairi barely knew Sora's older brother; she probably only saw him once or twice in the past two years. Then, she had to ask the question that had been on her mind for hours. "Riku, do you think it's our fault...?"

"What?" he gave her a crazy look. "Why would you even think that?!"

Kairi fed into his sudden irritation and became irate herself. She just couldn't accept the fact that Sora would do this. "Because... we started dating and then immediately after Sora nearly has an overdose?! What the hell!"

"But what does that have to do with us?!" Riku countered.

"I don't know, he just seemed really upset after that!"

"Kairi, calm down." Riku quieted down a little and became a little more empathetic. "When Sora gets better, we'll sit him down and figure out what's going on, okay?" He wrapped his arms around her. "If anything, it was a really, _really_, immature thing of him to do."

"Won't people at school find out...?" Kairi asked worriedly. "Sora will be kicked off the team... and possibly even out of school..."

Riku sighed. It was true. He probably could have stayed in school with just some marijuana charges, but the cocaine thing would definitely get him expelled if people found out.

"Do you think he'll go to jail...?"

"I don't know, Kairi. I just... don't know."

o-o-o

The next morning, Roxas reached the hospital nearly ten minutes after arriving on Destiny Islands. _'It's happening again...'_ he thought to himself as he entered the building. He got his visitor's pass and went down the hallway. Roxas stopped at the doorway; his hand frozen on the door handle. He didn't know what to expect when he went in there. His mother had called him in a panic and he ended up coming three days earlier than expected. _'Wouldn't Namine be happy to see me...'_ he thought sarcastically. He removed his hand and just stood there before taking a deep breath and walking into the room.

The monitor was beeping steadily. Roxas took a few steps forward, but kept his distance from his cousin. Rinoa insisted that he was the only one who could talk to Sora and get the truth, but honestly, he was scared. Sora really fucked up this time and Roxas wasn't sure if he could say or do anything.

"Who are you?" a nurse asked upon entering the room, startling him.

"Oh, I'm... his cousin." Roxas said as he moved out of her way so she could check Sora's vitals. After she listened to his heartbeat, he asked, "how is he...?"

"He hasn't woken up yet, but he's slowly returning to normal. However, we don't know what long-term effects this will have on him."

"Oh..."

The nurse left the room. Roxas pulled up a chair and sat a reasonable distance away from the bed. "I don't know what happened this time, but... I hope you will be okay."

Oh, he _sure hoped so._

O-o-o

o-o-o

**A/N:** I would like to apologize to Englishhedgehog13 for updating once again when he was sleeping. (Posting this at 8pm central time) I would have had this out a few hours ago, but I decided to add more. My b. Also to Ian, an amazing reviewer, at first I wanted this to be a high school fic but I can't really stick to those anymore so there's no telling how long this fic will be now. You will notice I took that summary out of the first chapter.

Please leave a **review** and also let me know what you think of the question I asked at the top of the page.

[[We all go through tough times. How we handle it... is another story.]]


	6. Memories

O-o-o

**Chapter Six**  
>Memories<p>

O-o-o

Kairi awakened with a stir of emotions. It had been three days since the hospital incident. Obviously, Sora wasn't in school and people were starting to whisper. Kairi flipped onto her side and stared out her bedroom window. She was so confused about what was going on. _'How in the world could he do that...?'_ was the question she repeatedly asked herself.

She couldn't bring herself to go and visit him, either.

Kairi showered and grabbed a protein bar from the counter. Just as she was walking out the door, her mother stopped her.

"Kairi, when you come home I would like you to fill out these college applications." she said holding up some papers. Kairi rolled her eyes and left. Her parents have been drilling her to get into Twilight University, one of the top schools in the world, but Kairi didn't want to leave home. She didn't tell her parents, but she had already applied to the local college last month.

However, college was the last thing on her mind.

She began riding with Riku to school. She wasn't sure why she never did this before; she hated the school bus and the majority of the people on it. Riku greeted her with a half smile and a light kiss on the cheek before driving off. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes.

"How are you this morning?" Riku finally asked.

"Could be better."

"Same here."

Riku pulled into the school parking lot and found a spot in the middle. They both sat there for a while in silence.

"I want to skip today." Kairi admitted.

"I do too... but I can't miss practice." Riku responded. "If I don't go to class I can't go to practice, and then I can't play in the first half of the game tomorrow. In case you forgot, we're up against the rival team."

"Sorry... I just don't feel like facing everyone today." Kairi sighed.

"I know..." Riku patted her back. "If anyone asks, Sora has the flu."

That was better than what she came up with, so she accepted and they got out of the car. Riku held out his hand. Their fingers intertwined as they walked together towards the school. The hallway was crowded as usual, but Kairi couldn't help but think everyone was staring at them or talking about them. She was reminded of their middle school days—how she and Sora were always the subjects of ridicule and how she always had to defend both herself and him. Riku would step in when he was around, but since he was in a grade ahead of theirs, they didn't see him much.

_'Would I have to defend Sora again?'_ Kairi asked herself as they reached Riku's locker.

As if on cue, Tidus appeared asking about Sora. Riku gave him the excuse he came up with earlier. "Oh, that's too bad. Good thing he's staying home." Tidus agreed. "Have you told Coach?"

"Let him know for me, okay?" Riku told him. Tidus nodded and just stood there for a moment, making things a bit awkward.

"You know, I heard some things the other day. I couldn't help but ask..."

"Don't believe everything you hear," Kairi answered quickly.

"I mean, I heard that Sora and Namine broke up. That has to be the record for the shortest relationship ever."

"Well, it happens. And there _are_ shorter ones out there." Riku added nonchalantly, but his confused facial expression said otherwise.

"Why don't you ask her?" Kairi pointed to Namine, who was coming down the hallway with some friends.

"No way, she's with Yuna." Tidus blushed and hid behind Kairi, irritating her a little.

"Then I'll ask." Riku shut his locker, maneuvered past them and towards Namine. The blonde stopped as she saw him approaching her. "Hey," Riku started, shifting his eyes and hinting for her friends to go elsewhere. They got the message and scurried off. Although Riku had never talked to this girl a day in his life, he felt like he knew her simply because Sora did. "So... it's true?"

Namine immediately knew what he was talking about. She sighed and nodded her head slightly. "I don't know why," her eyes rolled to each side nervously, as if she didn't want to look him in the face.

"Cut the crap." Riku said, surprising her. They went over to a corner where less people could hear. "It's just so weird to me. All of a sudden, out of the blue you two start going out? Sora tells me almost everything. Please tell me this was some sort of stunt."

"Okay, okay! Sora and I weren't really together. I was just helping him out." Namine said; her shoulders tense and face filled with guilt. "I have a real boyfriend and he's going to transfer here next week. I couldn't keep up with it. I called Sora the other night and told him to grow a pair next time."

"What do you mean?" Riku asked, but felt like he knew what she was talking about. He had a hunch that they were just pretending and now that Namine was confirming that he was right, he was even more intimidated.

Namine's voice changed to a whisper as she leaned in a little closer, "I know that you are dating her now, but I feel like I should tell you. Sora is... in love with Kairi. He wanted to see what happened if he got a girlfriend."

Her words pierced through him. Sora had _used_ Namine to make Kairi jealous simply because he was in love with her. _'Pretty shitty move...'_ Riku smirked at the thought because he now had Kairi thanks to Sora's stupidity. However, he knew that Kairi's feelings for him couldn't fade that easily, so Riku had to be on his guard. If Sora was desperate enough to do this, then use drugs and alcohol to get their attention, there was no telling what he would do next. Even though Kairi hated that stuff, her ten year infatuation subconsciously would override rational judgment at some point. At the same time, Riku worried immensely about his best friend and the path he was going down. He felt like he was stuck in the middle... and that a huge battle was brewing at the same time.

"If you ever need to talk," Namine started writing on the edge of some notebook paper. She ripped it out, folded it and handed it to him. "Here's my number. I have to get to class now."

"No thanks," he gave it back to her, "but thank you for being honest with me at least." He waved to her and headed back over to Kairi and Tidus, who were aching to know what they were talking about. "They did break up." Riku said, but he refused to repeat anything else. He couldn't let Kairi know the truth about Sora's feelings for her.

He would lose her.

O-o-o

_'Come here, son...'_

Sora squirmed in his hospital bed.

_'Come to daddy... daddy wants to tell you something...'_

_'No, daddy... you hurt me last time...'_

Sora didn't have time to react. His father grabbed his arm and swung him forward. Five year old Sora was thrown onto the ground. His father stood over him, kicking him repeatedly in his stomach and legs.

_'Daddy, stop! I'm sorry! Please don't... daddy!" _the child choked as he struggled to get up.

_'Shut the fuck up, stupid kid!'_ his father picked him up by the arm and threw him against the wall. His father came up to him; his shadow looming behind the cowering child. _'Take off your clothes.' _ Sora looked up at him with grief stricken eyes; he just couldn't understand why his father was doing this. Shaking in fear, Sora did as he was told. _'It's time for a bath...'_ his father ordered, a creepy grin stretched across his face.

Once the bathroom door was shut, Sora had one of the most terrifying and painful experiences of his life.

"AHH!" Sora woke up in a deep sweat. Instinctively, he crossed his arm around his chest and began rocking back and forth. He could hardly breathe as the hellish memories swarmed around in his head.

"Sora, what's the matter?" Roxas ran to his side. Sora's monitor went off because his blood pressure was too high.

_'No... no... it's not happening... not again...'_ Sora was shaking all over. He couldn't hear anything. He didn't want to admit that it really happened at one point. He didn't want to admit that his own father abused and molested him for two years. Not even therapy could make the nightmares go away. Sora's childhood was taken by a monster.

It haunted him almost every night.

Eventually, he was forced to tell the police what his father did to him. He was sentenced to twenty-five years to life. Sora dreads the day his father walks out of prison.

He absolutely _dreads_ it.

"Sora, drink some water. Take some deep breaths." Roxas said. "It's alright. You're safe..."

A nurse came in to check on him. "What happened?" she asked Roxas.

"He just had a nightmare. He'll be fine."

Sora tried to calm down. He noticed his surroundings. Roxas, a nurse, an IV in his hand and the moonlight shining from the window. His father wasn't here. He _was safe._

"I-I'm... sorry..." he mouthed and fell back on his pillow, but he was too afraid to close his eyes. If he did, the same nightmare would occur again. Sora reached for his phone to try and distract himself. He called Kairi, but she didn't pick up. He checked the time; it was only midnight. Sora sighed and set his phone on the table next to the bed.

o-o-o

Roxas stayed at Sora's bedside the majority of the day. _'I can't believe I have to babysit him again... ugh...'_ he thought as he played on his phone while Sora slept. Despite the incident the night before, Sora seemed to be doing a little better, but they were waiting for the doctor's discharge orders. Sora would be required to attend therapy twice a week and they also had reason to believe that he needed to be put on some medication all because of this one incident. However, Roxas agreed with this because he simply didn't want Sora to go back to what he used to be.

It was the hardest four years of his life.

So much so, that Roxas ended up switching schools just to get away from it all. This was all right after meeting Namine, but he couldn't handle it. Yeah, he felt sorry for his cousin and wanted to help him, but there is only so much he could take. Luckily for him, Sora seemed to be happier right before he left.

Roxas heard a cough coming from Sora's direction. Sora's eyes were open, but he was just staring off into space. His hands were resting on his chest and he was breathing pretty normally.

"Morning, sunshine." Roxas said with a hint of sarcasm. Sora's eyes averted in his direction, but he was in a zombie-like state.

"Morning," he responded quietly.

"We need to get you out of here today, so when you're ready, we're going to walk."

"Okay,"

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay."

Roxas could hear the sadness in his voice. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

"No."

"No you don't mind or no you don't want to tell me?"

"I don't want to tell you."

"Fine, but you still have to get up."

Roxas' patience had decreased substantially over the years, so his unsympathetic attitude towards Sora was pretty normal. Sora didn't seem to complain; he was just glad that _someone_ cared about him enough to stick around.

...unlike _some people_.

Sora sat up and hunched over. His IV had started hurting him a few hours ago, but he didn't bother to tell anyone that it needed to be changed after having it for three days straight. Sora made sure his gown was fastened in the back as he lifted himself out of bed. With one hand on the IV post, he stepped towards Roxas, who was just watching him carefully to make sure he didn't fall. Sora's back hurt from laying down too long, but he ignored it and headed towards the door. Roxas got up and followed him.

_'I can't be like this...'_ Sora thought. _'Must... smile... and pretend... to be okay...'_

Sora knew he didn't have a strong will, but damn it, he would rather fake a smile than show everyone who he truly was. Although he could barely remember what happened, he deeply regretted letting Riku and Kairi see him like that. He didn't know how he would get out of this one.

But he had to try.

O-o-o

**A/N:** So now we have a little more of an idea as to why Sora is so messed up. Please leave a **review**! I would like to thank _Princess-Xion_ _f_or helping me so much with this story! Shit is about to hit the fan, so stay tuned!


	7. Back to Normal?

o-o-o

**Chapter Seven**  
>Back to Normal?<p>

o-o-o

The morning after Sora's discharge from the hospital, Roxas ended up preparing Sora's prescribed medications for the week. He flipped open each tab and made sure he had an even amount for day and night and that he measured correctly. Roxas knew he would have to basically hunt Sora down to take each pill. Sora was a like child when it came to keeping up with his medicine; a terrible thing for someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder just two years before. He had also prepared an emergency stash, just in case Sora wasn't home at the designated times. Roxas made Sora put the extra pills in his wallet. After pouting about it, Sora finally did so.

"Please, _please_ don't forget. That's probably why all of this happened in the first place." Roxas begged him. "Take it, now." he held out the pills in his hand. Sometimes, Roxas felt more like a parent than a cousin.

"Fine," Sora washed the pills down his throat with water and glared at him. "Happy?" he then smiled and skipped off to get his school bag. Sora was being his cheerful self once again and acting as if nothing had ever happened. Roxas sighed and grabbed his backpack. Today was his first day in a new high school and with Sora around, he really wasn't looking forward to it. However, he would be able to see his girlfriend for the first time in two years.

Roxas and Namine met right before he left for Twilight Town and they maintained a relationship online and over the phone. Because of this, he was a little nervous about actually being around her in person. There were often long pauses on the phone and sometimes Roxas felt a bit awkward with her. He just figured it was a temporary thing and tried to be optimistic.

o-o-o

As soon as Sora and Roxas arrived at school, Sora was surrounded by a bunch of people talking about how happy they were to see him back. Namine was among these, but she just stayed quiet. Roxas didn't see her; he was trying to get away from all of the unwanted attention. It was amazing how popular was, considering who he used to be—or who he actually was. Roxas decided that Sora could take care of himself from here on out, so he focused more on his class schedule and... where the hell everything was.

"Geometry II, D hallway? What hallway is this?" Roxas tried to look past the swarm of students, but he couldn't see any letter telling him which hallway he was in. There was a light tap on his shoulder.

"Hey stranger," Namine's voice soothed him as he turned around. Roxas wasn't prepared for the overwhelming emotion he felt from actually seeing her right in front of him. Although they had exchanged pictures often, she looked ten times more beautiful in person. She was more matured and her hair was longer, but that was all he could observe before he was pulled into a tight hug.

"Haha, hey..." he went to kiss her, but Namine quickly backed away and put her finger over his mouth.

"Shhh," she blushed, "I just _broke up_ with Sora, remember? Kissing another guy right after would make me look bad."

"Gah, stupid Sora. How dare he mess up our reunion..." Roxas halfway joked. "That's alright. We can hang out later and then I can kiss you all I want." he moved in and swiftly kissed her cheek before she could refuse. Namine's cheeks went bright red as she tried to hide her face from all of the spectators that could be watching. Roxas went back to the matter at hand. "Well, hey... I'm new here and I really need help finding my class."

"Smooth as ever," Namine responded, taking his class schedule. She immediately lit up when she saw that they had two classes together.

Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as Roxas thought it would.

O-o-o

Kairi spotted Sora in the hallway. He was talking with a few people from the soccer team and seemed completely normal. For days she had been wanting to talk to him; she got his call the other night but was too upset to answer. Sora noticed her in the corner of his eye. _'Ugh, we don't have to ignore each other anymore.'_ He waved to the people and went off to catch up with Kairi.

"Kairi!" Sora called out happily, making the redhead stop in her tracks. Other people irritatingly walked around her. Sora put his hand on her shoulder and grinned widely. "What's up?!"

"Really?" Kairi shot him the death glare. The teens moved out of the middle of the hallway as Kairi finally reached her locker. As she was twisting the lock, Sora spoke again.

"24, 6, 35." Sora said proudly, making Kairi look up at him in astonishment.

"How do you know my locker combination?"

Sora shrugged. "I just do. Want to know mine?"

"Not really." Kairi didn't know whether to be freaked out or flattered, but what was really bothering her was Sora's eerie ability to be happy and hide the fact that he had just gotten out of the hospital.

"Want to hang out after school?" Sora asked casually.

"I have homework."

"I know that you don't work on homework until after six."

For a while, Kairi almost forgot that Sora was one of her best friends. Of course she couldn't come up with any excuses. "Aren't you going to soccer practice?"

"Nah, I'm quitting the team." Sora leaned against the lockers and waited for Kairi to get what she needed. Once she was finished, he followed her all the way to his class. "Hey, where's Riku?"

"He was needed up in the office this morning. He helps out up there."

"Ah, well... CONGRATS!" Sora exclaimed, patting her in the back. Dumbfounded, Kairi had no idea how to respond to his behavior.

And honestly, it was pissing her off.

"Congrats for what?" Kairi asked, just to confirm.

"You and Riku, silly."

"You're happy for us?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be happy for my two best friends?" Sora knew he was lying, but he tried to ignore it. "So are we hanging out or not?"

The bell sounded. "Fine." Kairi rushed off.

_'This makes no freaking sense! Sora nearly DIED in that hospital... and yet he's acting like...'_ Kairi couldn't wrap her mind around it. On top of that, he made it completely clear to her that he was never interested and he seemed to be truly happy for her and Riku. In a way, this disappointed Kairi.

She _wanted_ Sora to like her, even though she was perfectly fine with Riku.

She didn't quite understand it herself. Being desired by Riku on a daily basis was enough, wasn't it? Kairi thought that by being with Riku, she could completely forget about her long time crush, but the fact that he apparently didn't want her really drove her crazy.

Not that she would go through with anything if he did...

Her lustful fantasies about Sora over the years were a routine that she had grown to accept. Suddenly, she's swept off of her feet by Riku. Things start going well and then Sora lands himself in the hospital. Kairi spent those days worrying about him more than she cared to admit. She tried not to let it show much around Riku; he didn't seem to like her thinking of Sora too much for obvious reasons. Every time she would bring him up, even if it's just wondering if he's okay, Riku would try to change the subject.

But old habits died hard, and Kairi had no clue what she was in for.

O-o-o

Vanitas was hanging out at one of Axel's friend's houses. He stacked up a few twelve packs of beer onto the table. Tonight, Axel's friend was throwing a huge party.

"Saix wants you to invite Sora." Axel told him.

"Nah, we already got him in enough trouble."

"Did you seem to _forget?_ When Saix wants something, it's an order."

Vanitas had an uneasy feeling about that. Saix was part of a dangerous organization. He never really complained much since they were the main supply of his pot addiction (through Axel, of course), but he didn't really want his brother getting involved. No matter what others thought, Vanitas _did_ care for Sora.

"Why does Saix want Sora here... just out of curiosity?" Vanitas was careful with his words. Axel glared at him, but then sighed.

"I don't know. Just make sure he comes or we're both in trouble."

Vanitas had heard nothing but horror stories about the organization. From what he knew, it consisted of ten members. Axel was currently trying to make peace with them for business purposes and he was extremely cautious not to step on anyone's toes. They have been known to kill anyone that defied them—in the most brutal way imaginable. Saix was the temporary leader at the moment. _Nobody_ double-crossed him. At the same time, Vanitas didn't want to be responsible if anything were to happen to Sora in their hands, but he didn't feel like he had a choice.

And what better way to rid of stress than to kick back, relax and smoke a blunt?

_'I didn't want Sora to start smoking pot... and I wish I wasn't so fucked up that night. Maybe I could have stopped him from taking that cocaine...'_ Vanitas pondered as he prepared his fix.

"Dude, do you have a death wish?! We still have to lock up all of the valuables!" Axel scolded.

"Alright, fine!"

o-o-o

After their last class was over, Sora and Kairi decided to walk to the park together before heading home. Riku was a little worried about this, but in order to not come off as clingy or overly jealous, he didn't say anything to Kairi about it. He made sure to kiss Kairi in front of him, though, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend as if he was saying, "she's mine, back the fuck up." He then left to go to practice.

This didn't put Sora in the best mood.

As they got farther away from the school grounds, it became quieter and a little more awkward. Kairi didn't know what to say to him and Sora was too nervous to start a conversation.

So she went with what came natural.

"OW!" Sora was punched right in the nose. He fell to the ground as blood started to trickle down his face.

"That's for doing those things!" Kairi screamed, feeling so much better now. She had been waiting to do that for days. Sora just cowered underneath her. "Do you know how worried we were about you?! HUH?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Kairi!"

"What on EARTH were you thinking?! GAH, I should beat your ass!"

"No, please don't hurt me!" Sora covered his head. Kairi sighed and calmed down some. She pulled out her handkerchief, leaned down and inched closer. Sora flinched at her touch. "Don't move. Let me wipe it." Kairi said irritably. Sora slowly put his arms down and let her do so. Kairi should have been grossed out by it, but she couldn't help but admire his cute, yet frightened expression. The fact that Sora was afraid of her made her feel more powerful and in control, which in turn made her feel better. _'How could anyone stay mad at you, Sora Yamada...?'_ Kairi looked at him dreamily, making him blush.

"Um... Kairi, are you okay...?"

"Huh? Yeah, of course I am. Now... stand up!" Overly embarrassed, Kairi threw her handkerchief into the nearest trash can and stubbornly marched ahead. Sora's nose was pounding, but at least the bleeding had stopped. He kept his distance to avoid any further damage to himself.

But yet... he wanted to grab her hand. He wanted to hold her and kiss her until the sun came up.

_'How did Riku do it?'_ Sora wondered, now matching his steps with hers. _'Wait... never mind. He's just... Riku.'_

As Sora went deeper into a dark abyss, Kairi was quite the opposite. She wondered what Sora was thinking about. She also felt a little bad for punching him, but it was well deserved.

"What do you want to do?" Kairi finally asked, breaking the silence and nearly making Sora run right into her. She skillfully dodged him, however.

"We can just sit and talk, I guess."

"What do you want to talk about?" Kairi asked, taking a seat on a bench. Sora sat down next to her.

"I don't know. We just haven't hung out as much lately. The truth is..." Sora paused, "I miss you, Kairi."

A weird feeling erupted in Kairi's chest upon hearing that. She crossed her legs and cleared her throat. He was making her turn red and he only said he missed her. _'Am I dreaming? No, stop it! You're with Riku!'_ Kairi tried to shake the thoughts away.

"I want to make it up to you. I'm sorry for doing drugs. I really am... and I promise to never do them again..." Sora wasn't sure how he could keep such a promise, but as long as it made Kairi happy... he didn't mind lying. Yes, it was wrong, but in Sora's eyes, he just wanted to see a smile on her pretty face. It was all he ever asked for.

"Sora, I have a question."

"Um, okay. What is it?"

"How do you feel about me and Riku? Be honest."

Sora didn't want to answer that. He didn't want to at all. Just as he was about come up with some bullshit answer, his phone went off. It was Vanitas.

"Be at 264 Rose Drive at 7 o'clock sharp. You don't have a choice."

"Why?" Sora asked skeptically. Kairi tried to listen, but she couldn't hear well.

"Two words: the organization."

Sora nearly dropped his phone.

O-o-o

o-o-o

**A/N:** What does this 'organization' have in store for Sora? Anyone notice the KH reference when talking about Saix? Hehe!

Alright, _now_ shit's about to get real. Prepare yo'selvez!


	8. Dangerous Combinations

o-o-o

**Chapter Eight**  
>Dangerous Combinations<p>

o-o-o

Sora had to be at that house in less than two hours. Kairi tried to get an answer out of him, but Sora was dead silent. He needed his medicine. He needed to stop trembling so much and make the fear go away. If the organization wanted something with him, it meant he would get a beat down sometime in their presence.

"Sora, talk to me! What is going on?"

"N-nothing. I have to go. Sorry." Sora grabbed his stuff and hurried off in the other direction, leaving Kairi on the bench. Just as Kairi was about to get up and follow him, Riku called her.

"Hey, babe. Are you coming over tonight?" Riku asked on the other line. "I have a surprise for you." Kairi wasn't really listening; she wanted to know where Sora was going and if he was in any trouble. His actions made it seem like something was wrong and Kairi wasn't about to let Sora go and do something stupid. "Hello? Kairi?"

"Oh, yeah. I'll be there tonight." she hung up and put her phone on silent. She knew that sounded rude, but she didn't want to lose sight of Sora. He had already made it down to the bus stop, where he was impatiently waiting. Kairi made sure that he didn't see her and hid behind a tree. The bus was coming down the street. Sora looked around, as if he was making sure he wasn't being followed and then stepped onto the bus. Kairi hurried and got on, but stayed towards the back where Sora couldn't see her. He stood the middle and held onto the safety handle overhead. He seemed to be deep in thought. Kairi stood with her back turned, making sure her face was hidden.

Fifteen minutes later, the bus entered downtown. Sora got off at the first stop and Kairi was sure to follow. He then went down to the subway. Before paying for her ticket, she made sure to keep track of which line Sora was taking. _'Yamamoto Line... that goes out into the country...'_ Preparing for a half hour trip, Kairi hurried and got her ticket. They went down to the waiting area.

When the train came, Kairi entered in a different entrance. It was crowded with the five o'clock traffic, so she had to be careful not to lose him. Kairi found a seat next to a few sketchy looking guys, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Kairi's black belt was her pride and joy and she would not hesitate to use it if they tried anything funny. She got out her phone. Riku texted her twice asking what that was about and what she was doing.

_"Sorry. I think Sora may be in trouble. I'm following him."_ She sent the message. There was no sense in hiding this from Riku. Even if he did worry, she could take care of herself and he knew that. Kairi decided to text Sora while she still had her eye on him just to see what he would do. _"I had fun with you today. I hope you have a nice rest of the day."_

She saw Sora look at his phone, smile and then put it away without responding. His smile turned back into a frown and he seemed to be back in an anxious mood. Kairi didn't really think much of him ignoring her text; she was more worried about where exactly he was going.

It seemed like forever until Sora finally reached his destination. Kairi was nearly asleep, but she was able to wake up when the train came to a halt. She rushed off, continuing to hide. Sora didn't really look around anymore; he must have figured he was safe. That didn't mean Kairi couldn't keep her distance. They left the station and Sora began walking down the dirt road. They were literally in the middle of nowhere. Corn fields surrounded them and it was starting to get dark. Kairi didn't really have anywhere to hide now if he were to turn around, but surprisingly, he kept his eyes forward—well, on the ground.

Sora's mind was racing. He had already taken the emergency pills that Roxas made him carry, but they weren't helping his anxiety at all. He had no idea what to expect when he got to that house. _'Is Vanitas there...?'_ he wondered as he turned onto yet another dirt road. He was too deep in thought to check his surroundings. A few more turns and he would be there.

Ten minutes 'til seven.

Sora knew what would happen if he was late. His beating would be way more severe.

Why did he expect to get hurt? Because it was the fucking organization.

Sora arrived on Rose Drive. There were a few houses and then another house at the very end of the road. A bunch of fancy cars were already there, making him even more nervous. Sora clutched his school bag tightly in anticipation. He couldn't concentrate on anything but what would happen to him. _'Should I try to fight them...? No... I can't even hit Kairi...'_

Kairi...

_'What would she say if she saw me here? Would she hate me?'_ Sora got closer to the house. _'Who am I kidding... of course she would...'_

Sora already figured that Kairi hated him for doing the drugs. The fact that she hung with him was simply out of pity because he kept bugging her.

As his mood deteriorated, Sora's anxiety began to take over. He had already made it to the mailbox. _'264 Rose Drive.'_ Sora checked the address on his phone. He was here. Gulping, he maneuvered around the cars and went up to the front door. _'Should I knock?'_ he heard loud music inside, so knocking wouldn't do any good. Sora put his hand on the door handle, but he was too afraid. He didn't want to do this. But at the same time, if he didn't come here, he would be hunted down and probably killed without a trace. Just as he was about to turn the doorknob, the door opened and Vanitas was standing there.

"You made it," Vanitas had a nervous expression on his face as he reluctantly let his brother in. Loud music filled his ears and drowned out his brother's voice. A few people were drinking in the living room and playing some card game. One of them had long grayish, black hair and a patch over his eye. The other two were blonde, but one was older and the other younger. They looked like they were part of the gang. A redhead girl walked past them; her outfit was skimpy and she seemed like she fit right in this sort of environment (whatever that meant). She went and sat on a guy's lap. He was wearing a beanie with a skull on it and had blonde hair. She held the beer for him as he drank and then they proceeded to make out. It was a typical party scene—something Sora wanted nothing to do with. He just wanted to get this over with and get out of here as fast as he could.

To his left was a dining room. A man with medium length pink hair was talking with a guy with dreads. Before Sora could look anywhere else, Axel appeared.

"Hey, you're here!" Axel put his arm around Sora's shoulder and made him go into the living room where everyone was. There were about ten other people that he couldn't see before. _'Which ones are the gang members?'_ Sora wracked his brain. He didn't know what was going on.

"Everyone, this is Sora." Axel yelled over the music. The guy with the patch over his eye looked up and snickered.

"Whoa, new meat?!" said the younger blonde. He moved over, as if he was making room for Sora.

"Sora, this is Luxord, Demyx and Xigbar. They're all part of the organization." Axel introduced.

_'Shit...'_ of course they were.

"And this is Shiki and Beat."

"He's a cutie... I want to sit on _his lap_!" Shiki gave Sora a seductive look.

_'Why is everyone being so... nice...?'_ Sora was in no position to refuse. He sat in between Demyx and Xigbar. Axel took a seat across from them where Shiki and Beat were.

"How good are you with cards?"

"Um, not that good..."

o-o-o

Kairi had no idea what was going on here. She hid behind the bushes and tried to peek in the window. She could see Sora sitting with some other people. _'This doesn't look good...'_ Kairi continued to watch. If anything were to happen, she would rush in there and save him.

O-o-o

"Sora, would you like a drink?" Shiki asked.

"N-no thanks." Sora answered politely, but when he looked at Axel, Axel was glaring. "Um, sure... what do you have?"

"He's cute." Shiki got up and went to the kitchen. Saix was there talking with a guy named Terra. She bowed to him and started making the alcoholic drink.

"Who is that for?" Saix asked.

"The new guest, Sora!"

"Ah, so he made it? Shiki, you _know_ what to give _new guests,_ right?"

"Yes sir." she nodded. Shiki pulled out two pills and crushed them into tiny pieces. She then sprinkled them into the drink until they dissolved. Shiki mixed a gram of cocaine and it was done. She went back into the living room. Sora was watching everyone else play. Vanitas was positioned behind the couch. Shiki smiled and handed him the drink.

_'I can't ask what's in it...'_ Sora examined it. It seemed like normal rum and coca cola., but he didn't have a clue. Vanitas gave him an uneasy look as Sora sipped on it.

"Come on, don't be a pussy! Chug that shit down!" Beat called out. Shiki leaned over in front of Sora; her cleavage showing right in his face.

"Let me help you with that, sweetie." she sat on his lap and held the drink for him, just like she was doing for Beat before. Shiki sort of force it upon him, using her "good looks" as an excuse. The alcohol burned his throat as he drank it entirely too fast. Sora ended up coughing. "You're almost done! Don't worry, the boss will be here soon to talk with you. He wants you to be relaxed." Shiki put the cup towards his mouth. Sora drank the last of it. She kissed him on the cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing softly onto it.

Kairi found herself feeling quite jealous that this was going on. There was another girl sitting on Sora's lap and flirting with him? On top of that, who knows what was in that drink. Kairi wanted to march in there and punch the living daylights out of her, but there were just too many people around. She wasn't sure she could take on that many. Suddenly, she heard the front door open. Trying to hold in her gasp, Kairi hid behind the bushes and stayed silent. Her heart was pounding.

"What's the boss going to do with him?" the guy with dreads asked the pink-haired dude.

"Who knows? But my assumption is that since Shiki gave him the drink, he must be up to something. Maybe we'll get a new lackey to kick around."

Kairi spotted a bug coming towards her feet and nearly panicked. She shouldn't be afraid of bugs, but she was. The bushes rustled a little, causing the two men to look over in her direction. Kairi froze.

"Who's there?" the pink-haired guy called out. Kairi hugged her knees tightly and hoped to god that they couldn't see her. Unfortunately, these guys were more paranoid than normal and came right over to the bush she was hiding behind.

_'I'm going to have to fight...'_

The guy with pink hair yanked Kairi out of the bushes and threw her onto the ground. Kairi immediately jumped to her feet, getting into fighting stance.

"Oh, what's this? Hey, Lexaeus, check this out."

"Ohh, she's cute. Can we keep her?"

"Back off!" Kairi yelled, ready to strike at any moment. However, before she had time to react, Lexaeus charged at her and put her in a headlock. She tried getting out of it, but his grip was too tight.

"Hey, Marluxia, what should we do with her?" Lexaeus tightened his arm around her neck, choking her.

"Let's take her to my room. We'll ask Saix what he wants after we have a little fun. He doesn't need to be bothered with such distractions."

"NO!" Kairi screamed. She bit Lexaeus in the arm as hard as she could and then swiftly kicked him in the jaw. Marluxia came at her, but she dodged and took hold of his arm. With all of her strength, Kairi twisted it until she heard it snap, causing Marluxia to yelp in pain. She then kicked him in the side and knocked him onto the ground. Lexaeus tried to punch her, but Kairi intercepted his hand and did the same thing. Marluxia wasn't done yet; he swooped his foot underneath her and tripped her. Kairi rolled a few times before jumping up again, but the two men were nowhere in sight. Not letting her guard down, she looked every which way.

All of a sudden, both of her arms were grabbed and she was thrown onto the ground. Marluxia got on top of her and covered her mouth as he punched her in the face with his other hand. Lexaeus tied her feet so tightly that she thought the rope would pierce her skin. Kairi hit Marluxia with her hands, but eventually those were pulled behind her head and tied. Marluxia put a blindfold over her and carried her inside and up the stairs.

O-o-o

"I feel... kind of... funny..." Sora said. The entire room was spinning. He could hear people talking to him, but he couldn't register what they were saying. They were just blurry blobs in his eyes and he wasn't sure what was going on.

"What did you give him?" Vanitas demanded an answer from Shiki.

"Only the routine drink for newbies. Ordered by Saix himself." Shiki grinned.

"Newbies? Are you saying..." Vanitas knew exactly what this meant. "But... why?!"

"Van, don't question it." Axel warned. Just then, Saix came into the room. Everyone but Sora stood up and bowed to him. Anyone else that was in the gang gathered around him. Saix seemed to be mentally taking roll.

"Axel, please fetch Marluxia and Lexaeus. They are not here."

"Yes sir." Axel went to look for them.

"Now then, has the subject been exposed to the full effects of the drink?" Saix knew he didn't have to ask, considering Sora was just staring at the ceiling and not responding much. Demyx and Luxord moved out of the way so Saix could sit next to the drugged up boy.

"Sora, if you can hear me, wave your hand."

Sora thought he heard someone talking to him. _'Wave... my... hand? Is that... what he said...?'_

"Wave your hand, Sora."

Sora slowly lifted his hand and moved it slightly, only for it to fall back down again.

"Good. Now-"

Before Saix could say anything else, Axel came back down. "Um, sir, I'm so sorry to interrupt, but we have a slight problem." Axel stepped aside and there was Marluxia, carrying Kairi. Her clothes were torn and she had passed out.

"Who is she?"

"I don't know. She was spying on us. She sure could put up a fight, though." Marluxia answered.

"Okay, so why are you telling me this? Just dispose of her."

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't want to use her for anything. She may be a friend of Sora's."

"Is that so..." Saix touched Sora's arm, which in turn made him lash out in no particular direction. Each member was on edge, but Saix assured them that it was okay.

"Don't... touch... me!"

"Sora, do you know this girl?" Saix forced Sora to look at Kairi. "

"Huh...?"

"Sir, he is out of it." Terra noted, but Saix kept his grip. Vanitas felt terrible for this.

"Kai... ri..."

"So he does know her." Saix let go and stood up. "Put her on the couch."

Marluxia set the unconscious Kairi on the couch. His lust overcame him as she lay there, but he held it in. Saix gave her a pitiful look. "She's so young and innocent. What to do..."

"Kairi..." Sora was trying to move from his spot, but was having a lot of trouble. "I'm... coming... Kairi..."

"Marluxia,"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Lexaeus, Shiki... and..." Saix looked around the room, "and Axel," he paused, "take these two upstairs. I will be up in a minute."  
>"Yes sir!"<p>

Axel exchanged glances with Vanitas, but did what he was told.

"Everyone else, do not, I repeat, do _not_ come upstairs."

Sora felt someone picking him up, but he was too weak to do or say anything. All he knew was Kairi was here and she didn't look well...

...and that he was completely helpless.

O-o-o

o-o-o

**A/N:** Oh snap! What's going to happen?! **Review** and maybe you'll find out soon!


	9. Bittersweet

**Wanrning. This chapter will be somewhat graphic.**

O-o-o

**Chapter Nine**

o-o-o

_'Searching for a way to escape the madness  
>a dire need for change as we fight for better days<br>the hurt and the pain cut deep like a razor blade  
>holding in a cry for love, abandoned and afraid...'<em>

o-o-o

Riku paced around his room nervously, keeping his eye on his phone just in case Kairi called. She hadn't responded for hours now and it was pushing Riku over the edge. Out of a jealous fit, he had planned an entire romantic evening for the two. He didn't like Kairi hanging out with Sora knowing that Sora had deep feelings for her. He didn't like it at all.

Riku felt like he was a pretty reasonable guy. He didn't put any restrictions on Kairi since they got into a relationship and he wasn't the controlling type. He didn't want to suffocate her with romance or too much time together. He just didn't want her to be around Sora. Why was that so hard to grasp? Riku almost felt bad for thinking this and knew if he told her about it she would get upset because she would think he didn't trust her. The last thing Riku wanted was to lose Kairi because of his own insecurities. But the fact that she wasn't answering... _wasn't_ helping.

_'Damn it... what is going on...?'_ Riku sat on the edge of his bed. The moon was rising in the sky. If they were really in trouble, Riku had no idea how to find them. _'I wonder if Kairi's parents put a tracker on her phone... they are pretty strict... but no... I don't want to make them worry...'_ Riku expected another phone call from Sora's house, but it never came.

On top of that, Kairi said she thought Sora may be in trouble. This only added to his nervous state.

"Riku, are you home?" his mother called from downstairs.

"Yes, mom."

"Come help me with the groceries."

Riku sighed and put his phone in his pocket. It was going to be a long night.

O-o-o

Sora's eyes opened slightly, but everything was pitch black. He could hear what sounded like a girl screaming, but he wasn't fully conscious. His head was pounding and he felt extremely nauseous. Sora tried to lift himself up. A nasty smell made him gag and his vomit came up and onto the floor. His arms were already wet from something he couldn't see, but the stench only made him want to throw up again. _'What... happened...?'_ Sora asked himself as he tried to get up. The screams got louder and pretty soon he heard his own name.

_"Sora... Sora, help me!"_

He wasn't dreaming. That sounded just like Kairi's voice.

Suddenly, he heard a door open and a light switch was turned on. Shiki was standing in the doorway with a look of pity on her face. "Oh, poor baby... looks like you need a bath."

_'A bath... no...'_

Sora absolutely hated baths...

But his reaction time was cut in half. His breathing was slower than it should be and he wasn't registering what was happening. Before he knew it, Shiki was escorting him to the bathroom to get him washed up.

"No... no... let go of me..." Sora begged. It was like being five years old again.

Helpless and afraid.

"You're covered in vomit. Let me get your clothes off for you. Now, don't move..." Shiki began lifting up Sora's shirt. His anxiety took over and he tried to scream, but nothing was coming out. He felt lightheaded. "Stop struggling if you know what's good for you!" Shiki punched him right in the stomach, making more vomit come up. She stepped back and mentally cursed. "You're making a huge mess. Saix will not like this. Now just cooperate and I promise I'll be _nice_."

Sora complied. He was good at that.

She stripped his clothes and started the shower. Sora was numb. He knew what would happen to him. "Before this bath, I have to wash you off. Step in the tub." Shiki demanded. Sora did so—his gaze stuck on the floor. The screams were drowned out by the running water. It was ice cold, but that didn't bother him nearly as much as the images in his head. Remnants of whatever he had eaten before he entered that house went down the drain. The smell of bleach filled his nostrils.

"We can't take a bath in a dirty tub," Shiki said handing him a rag. "Clean it."

Sora got to his knees and started scrubbing the floor of the tub. He was shivering from a mixture of fear and cold air. From habit, he tried to scrub quickly because he felt he would be scolded and hit if he did otherwise. Shiki noticed this.

"You're pretty used to this, aren't you? Good. That makes it easier for me." she started to take off her clothes. "You'd better not let me stand here long."

Sora glanced over and saw her slipping off her underwear, but it did nothing for him. He turned on the water and soaked the bleach away. Shiki pulled some bath foam out of the cabinet. "Fill the tub now."

Making Sora prepare a bath was like an insult to his existence. He had so many nightmares about this. His showers only lasted about three minutes or less because he hated standing in a tub. This couldn't be a coincidence. They had to know of this immense fear he had and how painful it was to recall those images. He would rather just drown.

"What are you doing? Put some of the soap in!" Shiki yelled. "I'm getting cold!

Yup... it was _exactly_ like then.

Sora didn't realize how hot the water was. His skin started to turn red as it filled up in the tub, but he didn't care. Shiki apparently did, though. She stuck her finger in and immediately yelled at him again. "THAT BURNS!" she smacked him into the shower wall. Shiki turned on the cold water to balance out the temperature. Sora just leaned against the wall; his eyes heavy with grief. After a few minutes, Shiki stepped into the tub and closed the shower curtain.

"Touch me."

_'Touch me.'_ his father's voice rang in his ears like an alarm.

"I... can't..." Sora choked out, but knew that those would be his last words.

O-o-o

Riku couldn't take it anymore. He rushed over to Kairi's house and knocked on the door. Kairi's mother appeared in her bathrobe.

"Mrs. Hikari... Kairi... she... may be in trouble..."

"What are you talking about?!" she let him inside.

"I... I don't know... I just have a terrible feeling. Please tell me that you have a tracker on her phone..." Riku didn't know what else to do. He hated making people worry, but at the same time, it was better than what was going through his head.

"We do, but Riku, what's going on?"

Kairi's father stepped out of the bedroom and questioned the commotion. After being updated, he immediately checked Kairi's location and then called the police. Riku memorized the address and rushed out.

o-o-o

Sora cried out in pain as Shiki slashed him repeatedly with a razor blade. He had cuts all over his body; she was avoiding his vital areas on purpose. Sora's face went under water as she sat on top of him. He just wished he would die.

The water was stained red with Sora's blood. The taste entered his throat and he was forced to swallow it as he shook. Shiki pulled him out of the water and started slapping him in the face furiously. "I told you not to disobey!"

"O-okay... I... won't..." Sora reached for her neck so he could pull her in for a kiss, but she merely cut his arm and pushed him back down. It was a wonder on how much strength this girl had.

"Shiki, that's enough." Saix appeared at the door. Shiki took a few deep breaths and then got out of the tub. Sora lay there, drenched in his own blood. He didn't know how much he lost/was losing but he hoped it was enough to pass out. He felt weak and lightheaded and could hardly move. Shiki dried off and put her clothes back on. She threw a towel on the ground and demanded Sora to get out.

"Bring him to the next room." Saix said and left.

"Well, you heard him. Get the fuck up!"

_'I... can't move...'_ Sora's cuts stung like hell. Shiki impatiently pulled him out of the tub. Sora landed on the ground, weak and in staggering pain. He tried to reach for the towel, but Shiki pulled it away and laughed hysterically. "I don't think I want you have that. Now, follow me... and you _better hurry up_, or your _friend_ is going to _get it_."

"My... my friend...?"

"I think you said her name was... Kairi?" Shiki smirked.

"Kairi..."

That was when he recalled her screams earlier. With all his might, Sora got to his knees and started crawling. His blood dripped onto the floor as he forced himself to keep going. Shiki skipped off into the hallway and waited for him. He must have looked pathetic. This was the ultimate form of torture, but all he could think of was Kairi and if she was even still alive. Why were they doing this to him?

He watched as Shiki skipped happily into the room across the hallway. He could see a few other people in there. He didn't care if he was naked and bleeding to death. He had to see her.

"Kai...ri..."

"Took you long enough, kid." Lexaeus said as Sora weakly crawled into the bedroom. Everything was silent as they waited for him to stand. He could see a foot hanging off the bed in front of him.

"That's a pretty good position for him... on his knees..." Saix joked. Everyone laughed, but Sora was focused on Kairi. He grabbed the top of the bed and tried his hardest to pull himself up so he could see her. Everyone watched as he struggled to ignore the stinging pain.

"S-Sora..." Kairi coughed and turned her head a little. She was topless and had bruises all over her body. Her hands were tied to the bed and she was too exhausted and weak to move. Sora tried to reach for the rope that bounded her wrists, but he couldn't. They must have been loving this.

"That's what you get for taking our cocaine." Saix said, glaring over at Axel.

"So... that's what... this is about...?" Sora asked.

"Yes, you owe me." Saix answered.

This was pretty extreme for just a line or two of cocaine, but the organization was filled with crazy people. Sora should not have expected any less. Even the slightest thing could set them off. He wondered what would happen to Axel for giving him the drug without making him pay for it.

"Now, Sora... I'm feeling a bit generous, so I'm going to make a deal with you." Saix picked Sora up and threw him onto the bed. Sora landed halfway on Kairi, making her cry out from the weight of him on her abused body. She looked like she was beaten pretty badly. "We can't let this girl tell people where we are, so... either you can punish her or we will."

"P-punish...?" Sora looked desperately into Kairi's saddened eyes.

"Yes. We will let you do whatever you want to her, as long as it hurts. If not, me, Axel and Shiki will have our way with both of you. You chose."

Saix was sadistic and sick. Sora couldn't even imagine hurting the girl he loved so much. He did know, however that nothing he did actually would hurt her more than she already was. He had never seen Kairi so terrified and he felt like it was all his fault. Even though he didn't bring her here, he should have known that Kairi had the curiosity of a cat.

And curiosity often killed the cat.

Sora should not have had to weigh his options, but he really didn't know what to do.

"Rape her. We want a good show." Saix demanded.

Kairi started shaking her head and wimpering. Tears rolled down her face as Sora lay on top of her. "Sora... p-please..."

"You have ten minutes. If you don't make her cum by then, we will be forced to step in and make sure you both can't stand for months."

...Sickening... unbelievable...

Sora leaned towards Kairi's ear and whispered, "Please, let me... I'll... take care of you... I promise..."

Kairi trusted him, but this wasn't the least bit ideal. _'Either let Sora have sex with me... or get us both killed...'_ Kairi started sobbing, but nodded slightly, giving him permission.

At least it was Sora...

"Hurry up!" Saix yelled.

Sora didn't care how much pain he was in. He was going to make this enjoyable for Kairi, despite everything that was going on. It was the only way he could feel okay with what he was doing—if he took her to an entirely different place in her mind. He didn't want her to suffer anymore. There was no telling what had happened to her before he entered this room.

"Sora... I'm... still... a..." Kairi was too embarrassed to finish her sentence. It was bad enough that there would be people watching.

"Eight minutes!" Saix reminded them.

"Okay, Kairi... I... understand. Thank you... for trusting me..." Sora said as he started to pull off her panties. His hands trembled as he touched her cold skin. He couldn't understand why the organization wanted him to do this. Was this their way of being nice? No matter what, Sora knew he didn't have much time. Already naked himself, he tried to imagine himself alone with Kairi. He had dreamed about this over and over, so it shouldn't be that difficult to get hard, right? However, Sora had no idea how to do this.

Kairi realized that Sora was hesitating too much. Time was running out, so she needed to take some control in order to save herself and him. "Sora, kiss me." Sora gave her a nervous look. She noticed all of the cuts on his body as he leaned in closer. Her heart beat rapidly as Sora's lips touched hers. It was bittersweet; the first time felt like the last. Kairi broke away from him and said, "Put your hand on my breast. Just... close your eyes..." Kairi felt strange for teaching this to Sora, but she didn't have a choice. She obviously would much rather do this than whatever the gang members had planned.

"Woo! Now that's the stuff!" Shiki cheered. "Why couldn't you do that when I told you to?"

Her voice only made Sora angry. He grasped Kairi's breast in his hand and squeezed harder than he should have, causing Kairi to moan. Feeling like he did something wrong, Sora didn't have time to stop and check with her. He started kissing her neck and breast. His erection was begging to enter her, but Sora wanted a little more foreplay, despite the limited time set upon them. He was trying to ignore the fact that everyone was watching.

"Sora, focus on me," Kairi pleaded. Sora nodded and closed his eyes. He kissed her again. Kairi played along. Even though they were forced into this situation, it felt so real. All of his feelings that built up for Kairi over the years were overriding the pain.

He loved her with every fiber of his being.

"Five minutes." Saix noted.

"Please... fuck me..." Kairi gasped as Sora started biting her ear. He wasn't sure that he heard her correctly, but the audience sure was enjoying it. Kairi wrapped her legs around his back.

That's when all thought processes stopped. Without hesitation, Sora jammed himself into her. Kairi screamed out, lost in a sea of emotion and undeniable sensation. Blood leaked onto the bed from her entrance. Sora had taken her virginity.

Kairi tried to convince herself that it felt good, but it was just too painful. She could pretend to orgasm, couldn't she? That wouldn't be fair to Sora but she didn't really think this was a situation to be _fair_.

"Ah... Sora... SORA!" Kairi moaned as he went back and forth. Her arms ached from being tied behind her head all this time. Sora obviously had never done this before, but Kairi didn't know what it was like either. His movements weren't very organized and she was afraid he would accidentally pull out and enter back in the wrong spot. Sora tried to keep his rhythm, getting more and more aroused as he went on.

"Cum inside of her." Saix commanded. "You have two minutes."

Sora had to do it. He didn't have a choice. He thrust harder; Kairi continued to yell out. It was finally starting to feel good and she felt like she was going to climax soon. Sora's breaths were sporadic as he went even faster; running purely on adrenaline and his unwavering love for her. He could picture them alone now.

_'It's just me and her... nobody else is here...'_ he told himself over and over. _'I love you, Kairi...'_ he dug deeper inside of her. Kairi could barely control herself. This was amazing. Sora could not have been pretending anymore. She really felt a connection with him unlike any other, despite the terrible circumstances.

"S-Sora... I'm... gonna... I'm gonna..."

Just as they were both about to finish, the door flung open. "Sir, the police!" Marluxia yelled.

"Fuck, let's go!" Saix and the others bolted out of the room. Sora was about to reach his limit—he didn't realize what was happening. Just before he was about to explode, Kairi kicked him off of her. He landed next to her with a confused look on his face. It took Sora a while to calm down and realize what was going on; his erection throbbed from stopping himself too soon.

"W-What's wrong, Kairi?" Sora asked, nearly out of breath.

"Kairi! Kairi, where are you?! Sora?!" Riku's voice was heard coming up the stairs. Kairi started to panic, but at the same time felt extremely relieved. She had no idea how she was going to explain this to Riku...

Sora also realized that Riku was coming. He grabbed the blanket and rolled off the bed onto the floor on the other side. Riku appeared in the doorway; his eyes filled with disbelief.

"R-Riku!" Kairi begged for his help. He rushed over to her and started to untie the rope without asking any questions.

That's when he saw Sora... wrapped in a blanket on the floor. He was looking down in shame, not saying a word. Sora was still attempting to catch his breath. Riku slowly backed away from the bed, not taking his eyes off of him. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Riku, it's _really _not what it looks like! I swear!" Kairi screamed, but Riku didn't respond. "Please untie me! I'll explain everything!" Riku stood there, paralyzed. His blood was boiling and he just wanted to throw Sora out of the window.

This was too much.

O-o-o

o-o-o

**A/N:** So... uh, what did you think of THAT?

Tell me in a lovely **review**. Who knows what will happen now...

My guess is we are halfway through the story.

Don't forget to write something in the comment box and thanks to everyone who has continued to review up to this point! I love you guys!


	10. Warning

O-o-o

**Chapter Ten**  
>Warning<p>

o-o-o

Riku's rationalizations were cast aside as he eyed the bruises all over Kairi's naked body and face. Her hands were tied and she was begging him for help. Police ran past him and examined the situation, then proceeded to untie the rope from Kairi's wrists. Kairi wrapped the blanket around herself, flinching from the pain she had endured from the beating, as well as her encounter with Sora. She stared at Riku with the utmost regret; she knew what it must have looked like to her new boyfriend and best friend. A police man escorted her out of the room while another helped Sora. Riku was frozen in place.

"You need medical care. We are taking the girl and you to the hospital. He can ride with you." the police man told him. Sora nodded and followed him to the stairway. Not confident he could make it down by himself, the police man called the paramedics from downstairs. Sora was still wrapped in the blanket. Riku went past him without a word.

Riku found Kairi in the ambulance. He jumped in and sat down, still unable to speak. Although Riku felt played and deeply hurt, he wanted to believe that something else was going on here. There was no way Sora alone could subdue her like that. He definitely didn't think Sora would hit her, either, and even if he did she wouldn't look that bad. Kairi reached out and touched his hand.

"I can explain..." she said. "Riku, they were going to kill us."

After a long pause, he asked, "Who?"

"The Organization." Sora answered. A paramedic helped him into the ambulance, but then went off to do something else.

"That... gang?" Riku was shocked.

"Yeah. Vanitas told me I had to come here. I guess... it had something to do with the cocaine I used last week..." Sora's eyes lowered in shame.

"And I followed him completely on my own!" Kairi assured him. "I was worried..."

"Speaking of Vanitas, where is he?" Riku asked.

Sora shrugged. "Probably hiding from the police. He doesn't have the best record." Sora flinched from the pain inflicted upon him as he tried to get in a comfortable position. Kairi was avoiding eye contact with him and staying close to Riku. _'She must hate me...'_ he told himself. _'It probably didn't mean anything to her...'_

"Riku, I would _never_ purposely hurt you. You know this..."

"But-"

The trio stopped talking when a paramedic got into the ambulance. He started taking their vitals and checking their wounds as they were transported to the hospital. Riku still didn't know how to handle this, even if everything they said was true. When they reached the hospital, Sora and Kairi were taken back for several tests. Riku called Kairi's parents to let them know what was going on and then called Sora's aunt. Kairi's parents were going to come later.

He sighed and waited.

O-o-o

Axel and Vanitas were hiding out in an alleyway downtown. Axel knew what was coming to him.

"Vanitas, you need to get out of here." he warned. "Go see your brother..."

"I... I can't. He's probably pissed at me... I should have just taken the fall." Vanitas started shaking. "Sora didn't deserve this at all... he didn't deserve anything... ever..." Vanitas desperately reached for a cigarette. "I... I should just die..."

"What are you talking about, you idiot?! If they find us, they're going to kill _both_ of us!"

"Good! I want it to happen!" Vanitas was on the verge of tears. He felt so much regret for never helping Sora.

Axel was getting edgy and frustrated. "Get the fuck out of here, now!" Axel forced him out into the street. "RUN!"

Vanitas started running and didn't look back. Although he and Axel were simply drug buddies, he felt like this was the last time he would see him.

And he was right.

o-o-o

Kairi and Sora were given gowns and put on IV fluids. The drugs found in Sora's system, cocaine and the date rape drug raised alarm especially since he was just there last week for cocaine. Sora was going to have to answer a lot of questions and possibly be detained. However, Sora didn't want to tell the police about the gang. He was too afraid.

Kairi, however told them everything she knew despite the risk. Riku listened as she gave her testimony; appalled at what he heard.

"They took me upstairs... and beat me."

"Did they use any objects or just kicks and punches?" the investigator tried to sound empathetic. Kairi shrugged.

"I don't know. I blacked out for a while... and when I woke up they started punching me again. I was also tied to the bed. They ripped off my clothes and... touched me... but never raped me." Kairi didn't know exactly how to explain what happened next. Although she was traumatized by the entire situation, she was taking it much better than anyone else would. "That's when I saw Sora at the edge of the bed... he was so... well, you saw him, right? I don't know what they did to him..." Kairi tried to hold back her tears. She glanced over at Riku, who was just sitting there trying to take in everything.

"M'am, if you can, I need all the details I can get. This is a very dangerous group and the closer we are to getting them off the streets the safer everyone will be. We don't want this to happen again." the investigator told her.

Kairi felt like he was really insensitive, but at the same time, he was right. "Okay... well, the blue-haired guy told Sora to... have sex with me... while him and a few others watched..." Kairi squirmed at the thought. She didn't want to know what Riku was thinking right now. "If we didn't... they said they were going to... _have their way_ with both of us... we were scared..."

"So did you two have intercourse?"

Kairi simply nodded. A male nurse came in. His silver hair was long on one side and short on the other. He checked her blood pressure and listened to her heartbeat. Kairi thought there was something strange about his quiet and somewhat robotic demeanor, but she tried to focus on the investigator.

"Do you know the names of any of the assailants?" the investigator clicked his pen and waited for a response. The nurse glanced at her as he put the equipment up. He seemed to be stalling a little bit.

"I think I heard... Marluxia. But other than that... I don't know." Kairi said.

"Well, we will do our best to find these crooks. We will get a gynecologist in here later to check you out. I hope you have a speedy recovery." The investigator left the room, along with the nurse. Kairi and Riku sat there in silence.

It was so crazy that Riku didn't want to believe it. However, all he could do right now was comfort Kairi. He went over to her bed and sat in the chair. Kairi had tears forming in her eyes. She felt guilty, even though she would have never done this otherwise. She felt even more guilty for _enjoying_ it with Sora.

"So... are you okay now?" Riku asked.

"Yeah... just a few bruises... nothing I can't handle..." Kairi wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, Riku... I have never been so afraid in my life... I'm so sorry..." she sobbed on his shoulder. Riku held her.

_'What should I do...? Should I just let it slide? What if... she liked it?'_ Riku couldn't dismiss the possibility of lingering feelings. As much as he didn't want to, he would have to hear Sora's side.

But Sora wasn't talking.

"I promise that it meant nothing to me. They would have hurt us..."

"Okay." Riku gently rubbed her back; his emotions stirring inside. "I believe you."

O-o-o

The investigator tried to get whatever he could out of Sora, but Sora was silent. He didn't want to put himself in any more danger than he already was in.

"Where did you get all of those cuts?"

Sora said nothing.

"Sora, we need you to tell us what happened."

_'What happened...'_

Sora wanted to block out everything but him and Kairi. It was the only thing that made him somewhat happy, despite the fact that he knew he would never get the chance again. _'She's probably making up with Riku now. I have no place in their lives anymore. I'm just... a worthless idiot that means nothing. I don't have anyone that cares about me...'_

"Sora? Are you okay?" the investigator asked. After Sora didn't respond, he just sighed and gave up. "We will come back at a better time."

After the investigator left, Namine and Roxas entered the room. Sora didn't look up at them; he was lost in his own sea of emotions. Roxas just stood there and watched him; Namine wasn't sure what was going on but she was very anxious and sympathetic.

"What are you doing here...?" Sora asked; his tone low and depressing.

"My mom told me you were here."

"Go away..." he started to raise his voice, "Just leave me alone!" Sora pulled the blanket over himself and curled up. "Nobody cares about me!"

"I'm not going to take your bullshit, Sora!" Roxas yelled angrily and pulled on the blanket, but Sora held on tighter. Frustrated, Roxas stepped back and shook his head. "You know that's not true! Stop acting like a child!"

"It is true!" Sora yelled from under the blanket. "Everyone is going to leave me!"

"We're here now!" Roxas was getting worked up, but Namine took a little more calming approach. She went around to Sora's bed side. Roxas just sat in the chair and ran his hands through his hair in an aggravated manner. He was so stressed out over this.

"Sora, we are here because we care about you. Why do you think we don't?" her voice was soft and soothing. Sora clutched onto the blanket, but couldn't bring himself to let them see him. He felt pathetic. "Sora," Namine put her hand on his shoulder, "you're my friend. I'm worried about you. Tell me what I can do to help you."

Kairi.

Kairi would help tremendously.

"It doesn't matter. It's all over now."

"What's over, Sora?" Namine stayed calm.

"...she doesn't love me." he answered quietly.

"Ah, so _that's_ the problem." Namine glanced over at Roxas, who just scoffed. "Would you like me to talk to her?"

"No." Sora said. "It's pointless. She's with Riku."

"What you and I did was _pointless_." Namine chuckled a little. Sora couldn't understand how she could be so composed. Namine began rubbing his shoulder. He flinched when her hand touched one of his cuts. "Sora, would you let me see your face?"

"I don't know why you're trying." Roxas said from the other side of the room. "Just give him his medicine."

"Ignore him." Namine told Sora sweetly. "He's just a little burned out."

"I know. He's tired of taking care of me."

"But see? He shouldn't have to. You're seventeen years old. Can't you stand up on your own?"

"...I don't know."

Roxas was starting to feel bad for how he was acting. He knew his attitude wasn't helping at all and although what Namine said was true, he had a responsibility to his cousin. Sora lived a pretty fucked up life and Roxas pitied him. All of Sora's outbursts were obviously just cries for help.

"Alright," Roxas stood up and came over to Sora's bed. "Sora, we're going to stay here as long as you want us to, but if you want to be alone, we can do that too."

Sora was quiet for a moment; he was a little surprised that Roxas was saying this.

"So what do you want?"

"...stay with me..." Sora whispered. He slowly removed the blanket and showed his face. He looked worn out and depressed. Namine exchanged worried glances with Roxas, but then he smiled.

"That's what I thought. We'll be right here."

"Yeah, we won't leave you, Sora." Namine reassured him.

Vanitas stood outside the door; his deep regret taking over.

o-o-o

Kairi was discharged early the next morning. Her parents, along with Riku had stayed with her all night. After her mother helped her get dressed, she let Riku and Mr. Hikari back into the room.

"Riku, could you take her home? Her father and I have to go to work." Mrs. Hikari asked.

"Of course." Riku said. Kairi's parents left without saying they loved her or anything. Riku thought that was a little weird, but he focused more on helping Kairi walk.

"Should we see how Sora is doing?" Kairi asked him.

"Um... sure." Riku wanted to know as well. He made sure to grab Kairi's bag for her and then helped her walk down the hallway. Kairi was on some pain medications that made her a bit drowsy. They went a few doors over to Sora's room. Riku knocked on the door. Roxas opened it a few moments later.

"Oh, hey." his voice was low. Sora was asleep in his bed. Namine came over to them.

"He just dozed off. They're going to keep him for a few more days." Namine informed them.

"It's a good thing it's the weekend." Riku noted.

"Yeah..." Namine and Roxas said in unison. Kairi broke away from Riku and went over to Sora's bed. Memories flooded her mind of what happened between them. Her heartbeat sped up as she looked at him. Riku watched in the background, but didn't say anything. Kairi ran her hands through his spiky hair. She had a dire need to hold him, but kept it in.

"Ready to go, Kairi?" Riku was starting to feel uncomfortable and he was really bad at hiding it. He went over and glanced at Sora, then helped her to the door. "Thanks for staying with him," he said to Roxas and Namine.

"I hope you feel better, Kairi." Namine added.

"T-Thanks."

o-o-o

Riku helped Kairi get into his car. His parents had brought it for him last night. Kairi fastened her seat belt. She was still in shock over what happened at that house. _'Just what is Sora getting himself into...? Why did he go there if he knew something bad would happen to him...? Why did __I__ go there?'_

The car ride was quiet. Riku held onto her hand as he drove. He was glad that Sora was going to be okay, but at the same time he was anxious over how he and Kairi would act around each other now. He hoped Kairi was telling him the truth, but there was no telling what Sora was feeling.

As Riku got closer to Kairi's street, he heard fire sirens behind him. Riku pulled over so the fire truck could pass. There was smoke in the distance and police were cutting off access to the street she lived on.

"Riku... that's... my house..." Kairi had a dreaded look on her face. Riku realized that she was right.

"Stay here..." Riku got out of the car and went over to the police car that was blocking off the road. He looked past him and there it was—Kairi's house was up in flames.

"Sir, you can't go any further!" The police man told him.

"What happened?! That's my girlfriend's house!"

"Stay back!" the police blocked him.

Kairi got out of the car and with all her might, came over to them. She was absolutely stunned. Riku held her close to him.

"W-WHY...?!" Kairi screamed as she watched her childhood home burn to the ground.

O-o-o

o-o-o

**A/N:** Uh oh... please leave a **review**! Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out!


	11. Regrets

**This chapter is very emotional. Be warned.**

O-o-o

**Chapter Eleven**  
>Regrets<p>

o-o-o

_'Will you help me find the right way out or let me take the wrong way down?  
>Will you straighten me out or make me take the long way around?<br>I took the low road in, I'll take the high road out  
>I'll do whatever it takes to be the mistake you can't live without...'<em>

o-o-o

Saix and the other Organization members met in an abandoned building downtown. They were on the top floor; the light shone through the broken windows as everyone gathered around and waited for Saix to speak. Ventus was there as well, something that rarely happened since he wasn't officially part of the gang.

"You may be wondering... why do I want to recruit that kid?" Saix began, circling the room with his hands behind his back. "Let me just say... honestly, I'm bored. I need excitement. How do I fix this boredom? I mess up lives." he paused. "Luckily, Sora's life seems to already be spiraling downward. He's perfect for the part. On top of that, I have learned that his father, who is currently locked up, once tried to kill our leader. What a strange coincidence, right?"

The organization members nodded. Saix continued. "And we just _can't_ let that slide... can we?"

"No, sir!"

"Ventus, I'm going to give you a very important task. I need you to make Sora a recruit, but don't tell him. Just let him run some of your drug errands with you. You can sell some to him if you'd like. The more deranged we make him, the better. That way, he can do our work for us. Ventus, if you do this, I will officially make you a member. What do you say?"

Ventus knew it was a death sentence to refuse. "I will make it happen, sir."

"Sir, what about the girl... and his brother?" Marluxia asked.

"Hmm," Saix pondered for a moment. "If they become a problem, we can just make Sora kill them." Everyone seemed to agree. Saix smiled evilly to himself; he was pretty satisfied with this new plan. He wasn't too worried about Vanitas or Kairi, but he would keep them on his radar. "Nobody crosses the organization and gets away with it. They will suffer in one way or another and I will get my fix. It's a win, win."

o-o-o

Roxas and Namine had to leave the room while a psychologist came in and gave Sora a psychological assessment. Since he has had drugs in his system twice, voluntary or not, the doctor suggested it. Roxas and Namine sat out in the hallway. Vanitas was coming towards them with his eyes glued to the floor.

"What are you doing here?" Roxas scowled at him. He blamed Vanitas for almost everything. "Because of you, Sora got into this mess. My parents are on the verge of kicking you both out!"

"Look, I know you're mad at me. Even if I didn't ask him to come to that house, they would have found him and probably would have done worse." Vanitas explained, his sorrow deepening with each word. Roxas shook his head in disappointment and and distress. Namine leaned on his shoulder and comforted him.

"You do so much for your cousin, Roxas. It's very admirable." she told him. "You're a great person and friend."

They could hear Sora panicking from behind the door while the psychologist tried to calm him down. "What's going on in there?!" Vanitas asked worriedly.

"The doctor thinks that Sora needs to be evaluated. He's already been evaluated last year... and the year before that, and several times when he was a kid. He has bipolar disorder, depression and is on medication. I don't know why they have to do this again." Roxas' annoyance was very apparent. "If you were there to help him..."

"Hey, don't blame me! I may have been a little older but I didn't stand a chance against my shit face of a father!" Vanitas yelled. A nurse ran over to them.

"Take it outside if you're going to fight! I won't have you disturbing our guests and patients." she demanded. The group quieted down a little. Vanitas took a seat in the chair on the other side of the hallway and rested his hands in his pockets.

Just because Sora was abused more than he was didn't mean that it didn't affect Vanitas. Vanitas had his share of beatings—as well as sexual assault by the hands of his father. He was frightened and would often hide whenever he heard his father yelling and then Sora would get the beating instead. It was a regret that he would take to his grave. Sora used to be the happiest and most innocent kid, but that was ruined... and Vanitas blamed himself.

_'Why wasn't I braver...'_ he wondered. There were many times when he could have grabbed a knife. There were many times when he could have fought back, even though he was only eight years old.

But he didn't.

They could hear Sora panting, only adding to the stress. A few nurses walked in and the psychologist came out. She tried to maintain a decent composure as she organized her papers on her clipboard. They would have to wait for the doctor to hear the results of the evaluation, but Roxas was pretty sure that it would be the same. He and Namine went back in to see Sora while Vanitas hesitated.

"We gave him some anxiety medicine through the IV. He should be calming down." the nurse informed Roxas and Namine. Sora lay still in his bed, staring up at the ceiling with drowsy eyes.

"How are you, Sora?" Namine asked, putting her hand on his forehead. It was warm.

"I... don't want... to be here... anymore..."

"Sora, you have to listen to the doctors. They want to keep you until tomorrow, at least." Roxas told him.

"...but... I don't... want to..." his voice faded and then he started coughing. Namine had never seen anyone in such a bad condition. She wasn't sure how to handle this. "I don't... want to live..."

"Please don't say that..." Anxious, Namine got a cold rag and started wiping his forehead to cool him down. "You'll get out of here soon."

Vanitas stood at the door and watched Namine and Roxas take care of his brother. _'I should have been doing this...'_ he thought to himself.

"Are you coming in or not? Don't worry, he won't yell at you... too much." Roxas said. Vanitas took the invitation.

"Mind if I talk to him... alone?" Vanitas asked. Sora didn't say a word. Namine and Roxas accepted and left the room.

O-o-o

Kairi found out her parents were safe in their respective workplaces, so that was a sigh of relief. However, the fact that she had just lost her home had really taken its toll. Riku let her stay over at his house while he tried his hardest to make her feel better. Kairi had just gotten done being sad and now was more pissed than anything.

"That damn organization! I'm going to strangle each and every one of them! UGH!" Kairi stomped around Riku's room in frustration.

"Kairi, you do realize that you're talking about the most notorious gang on the Islands, right?" Riku was always the one to point out the obvious. She scoffed at him and just continued walking around in circles.

"They burned my fucking house down! How did they even know where I lived?!"

"Again... I bet they have connections..." Riku got up and stopped her. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Baby, sit down. Let me give you a massage or something. You know you can stay here as long as you'd like."

"...thank you, Riku. You're so good to me..." Kairi sat on his bed. Riku got behind her and started sensually touching her shoulders and back. "I just... I don't get it. I didn't do anything to them... they're the ones that..." Kairi gasped as if she had a sudden realization, "that nurse at the hospital! He must have been working with them! I knew he was kind of weird!"

"Kairi, relax." Riku moved his hands up and down her back. "Although that sounds pretty reasonable. They could have gotten your address through your medical records. Just be glad nobody was hurt."

"I was hurt!"

"I meant... in the fire." Riku wrapped his arms around her stomach and rested his head on her back. "Do you know how scared I was? I couldn't imagine losing you."

Kairi blushed and pursed her lips together nervously. Riku really knew how to make her feel better. Her toes curled as he started massaging her breasts and kissing her neck. Kairi threw her head back so he could have more access to her vulnerable skin. Riku was careful to avoid her bruises. Kairi swung her legs up onto the bed and lay flat with her head on the pillow. Riku towered over her; desire gleaming in his eyes. He gently placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her lips softly. Kairi's face reddened as he continued to just stare in her eyes.

"Kairi, can I tell you something?" he whispered as he caressed her thigh and teased her entrance with his fingers. He then moved his hand back up to her breasts and did round motions over each of them, making Kairi squirm with pleasure. He stopped and kissed her passionately as he intertwined both of his hands with hers. Riku lay down next to her, smiling with deep appreciation.

"What is it, Riku?" Kairi asked.

"I... think I'm in love with you."

o-o-o

Sora refused to say anything to his brother. Vanitas didn't really know what to say himself, but he figured that he had to start somewhere.

"I'm sorry."

"...really?" Sora turned his head to the other side. "That's all you can say?"

"I don't know how to do this, okay?!" Vanitas' voice rose. "Believe it or not, I actually care about you. As soon as they summoned you, there was nothing I could do. Just be glad that you have such great friends."

"I don't have friends." Sora said, although he knew that wasn't true. Roxas and Namine were there for him.

Vanitas decided to ignore Sora's downtrodden words and continued. "I have failed you as a brother. I think you should just forget about me."

"That's funny, I thought that you forgot about me."

"I think about you every single day. I should have been there when... dad... hit you. I should have let him hit me instead... every time."

The air thickened as the brothers recalled their horrible memories. Sora could feel another panic attack coming on, but the medicine must have been doing wonders because he was actually able to control himself a little. Sora gave Vanitas an anxious look. "Why didn't you...?"

"Isn't it obvious? I was scared."

"I was scared too..." Sora started tearing up, "do you know... what he did to me?!"

"Yes, Sora! I know... because he did the same things to me!" Vanitas admitted, shocking Sora. Sure, Sora figured that Vanitas was beaten, but he didn't have any idea that his father also... did that to him. Vanitas shuddered and looked away, but the fear was unmistakable.

"So many times... I looked for you..." Sora started to cry, "...I begged for your help... but you never came... and... he... he..."

Vanitas remembered every moment. "I know..."

"And even after dad was locked up, you avoided me... like I was some sort of disease... and now... I barely see you. You left me, Vanitas... you left me all alone!"

"You were with Aunt Rinoa and Uncle Leon! In case you didn't notice, they hated me, so I left that house. You were in much better hands. There was nothing I could do for you."

"You're my older brother! You were supposed to protect me!" Sora screamed; his tears rolling down his cheeks. "You're right... you're a failure! I'm sorry for looking up to you and depending on you!"

"Well, if you weren't such a little _pussy_ maybe I would have stuck around!" Vanitas yelled back, immediately regretting it. Sora stared at him with grief-stricken eyes, speechless. "Sora... I didn't mean that... I really didn't..."

Sora ripped out his IV and jumped out of the bed. He didn't realize how weak his legs were and fell onto the floor. Blood oozed out of where his IV was, but he didn't care. Vanitas was stunned. Sora lifted himself up and went towards the door, using the handle to hold himself up. His face was soaked in tears as he tried to open it. Roxas and Namine heard the commotion and stood on the other side of the door. Before long, Roxas was able to open the door and restrain his cousin. A few nurses came to help while Namine just stood in the background in shock. Vanitas rushed out of the room.

"Sora, calm down!" Roxas held his arms behind him. The nurses stepped in and used their precautionary measures to get Sora back into bed. Sora kicked and screamed, but he couldn't win. Two nurses held him down while another tranquilized him in the neck. After about ten seconds, Sora stopped fighting and calmed down.

This was enough to drive Roxas insane. He completely misjudged the situation.

"Fuck..." Roxas wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and took some deep breaths. "What in the world happened?!"

The hospital room was quiet as the nurses left the room. Now Sora would probably have to stay even longer... and possibly be sent to an asylum.

This was a nightmare.

O-o-o

_'The worst part is looking back and knowing that I was wrong...'_

o-o-o

**A/N:** Phew. What did you think? Some pretty big developments going on. There will be some SoKai time in the next chapter. Leave a **review** and stay tuned!


	12. Blocking it Out

o-o-o

**Chapter Twelve  
><strong>Blocking it Out

O-o-o

"Oh my goodness, have you heard? There are _two_ new students!" Selphie exclaimed from across the lunch table. "A brother and a sister. The brother is so freakin' cute..." Selphie stared dreamily off into space. Olette rolled her eyes and continued to study as she ate her bagel. Kairi and Riku just sat there and listened as the hopeless romantic went on. "Olette, you're the only person I know that studies during lunch. Seriously, look at him! He's right over there!" Selphie covered the book with one hand and pointed with another. Kairi turned to look as well.

They were sitting in the middle of the cafeteria, a few tables down from where Sora, Namine and Roxas were. A girl and a boy, both raven-haired with bright blue eyes, they looked as if they had just walked straight out of Hot Topic. From what Kairi could see, the girl was wearing a red tank top with skinny dark jeans and fancy black boots that came up to her knees. She wore cut-off gloves that stopped at her knuckles; Kairi wondered if she knew any kind of martial arts. The guy next to her, presumably her brother, had defined muscles across his chest and arms, spiky hair and Kairi couldn't even count the amount of chains that dangled from his black, baggy pants.

"Seriously, Selphie? I didn't think that you were into the goth type." Olette said.

"Oh, come on, Olette. Labels were _so_ Sophomore year. We're Juniors now and he is hot in my eyes."

"Sophomore or Junior... it doesn't matter..." Olette sighed and tried to go back to studying. Selphie nagged her some more.

Riku only sat here because these were Kairi's friends. He often went off into his own little world when Selphie and Olette gossiped about boys, but now he could just kiss Kairi or hold her if he wanted to completely ignore them. Kairi didn't usually join in on their conversations about other guys, even before she started dating Riku. That might have been because she was so hooked on Sora, but Riku didn't want to bring that up. All that matters is that Kairi chose to be with him.

"They're kind of creepy if you ask me." Kairi told Riku, still keeping her gaze on the new students.

"Why do you say that?"

"They just seem... intimidating. Not that I'm scared, though." Kairi added.

"I'd like to think of it as mysterious." Selphie argued, still off in dream land. "He will be mine someday!"

"That's what you said about the last guy that tickled your fancy." Olette shook her head and patted her friend's back. "Oh, Selphie, what am I going to do with you?"

"Love me forever?" Selphie and Olette laughed. Kairi cracked a smile and just leaned her head on Riku's shoulder. It was nice to have a distraction like these two after everything that happened. Sora had just gotten back to school today after a week long absence and he seemed to be okay. Roxas and Namine were doing a great job supporting him. This relieved Kairi to no end, but she still felt like she should at least try to be there for him.

Besides, she couldn't get him off of her mind.

O-o-o

Riku went off to his next class. Just before he entered his classroom, he noticed the two new students standing next to the door and talking. "Are you in Mr. Cooper's English class?" Riku asked them.

"Can't you see I'm trying to talk to my sister here?" the guy stepped froward, getting in Riku's face. Riku didn't back down.

"My bad." he stared at him for a few more seconds and then went into the classroom. He didn't like the vibe he was getting from these two. Ever since Kairi's house was burned down, Riku has been on his guard. He didn't know who was affiliated with the gang and you could say he was being a bit paranoid, but all Riku cared about was protecting his beloved girlfriend. It would have sounded silly to anyone else, but Riku didn't want to take any chances.

o-o-o

Kairi doodled with her pen as the teacher went on with his lecture. Sora was next to her, paying close attention to the lesson for once and it was really weird. He wasn't as cheerful as he usually was on school premises, but still pretended like nothing was wrong. Around Kairi, however, he was even more shy and avoided eye contact.

_'I wonder what he's thinking about...'_ Kairi pondered, glancing over at him. All she could see were the brown spikes of his hair; he was hunched over, his hand supporting the weight of his head as he wrote down some notes with the other. Even his legs were turned away from her. His turtleneck covered most of the cuts he had endured that night, but Kairi didn't know how he was really doing. It must have seemed weird to everyone else that he was wearing a sweater in the middle of September. He said but one word to her today and that was hello. (She was lucky to even get that out of him). He hadn't been to school for a week and their teacher advised that Kairi help him catch up even though she missed two days herself.

_'I really shouldn't be thinking about this. We were forced into it. Although... it was... nice...'_ Kairi's face reddened at the thought of Sora on top of her. _'He's right next to you, for god sakes!'_ Kairi shut her eyes and tried to relax. _'But... he's... seen me naked... and... we... damn it! Kairi, pull yourself together! Riku is in love with you!'_

Oh yeah, _that_.

Kairi shuddered and turned her body in the opposite direction so that her feet were out in the aisle. She just couldn't sit next to Sora after what happened and pretend like it meant nothing to her. She had dreamed about Sora for the majority of her pre-teen and teenage years. This was how she dealt with the trauma of nearly being beaten to a pulp before that.

"Psst," Kairi poked his arm gently, hoping she didn't touch one of his wounds. "Sora?"

Sora put his arm down and turned his head a little, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "Hm?" he mumbled quietly.

"Want to hang out after class?" Kairi whispered, her heartbeat elevating with each word. Sora thought about it for a moment, then shook his head and went back to writing notes. Astounded, Kairi sat there. _'Should I ask again? He's never refused spending time with me before without a decent reason...'_ Kairi waited for an elaboration as to why, but he didn't say anything. She could feel her irritation rising, but then her sympathy took over. Sora must have been really shaken by the incident. Instead, she wrote him a note and put it on top of the paper he was writing on. Sora stopped and read it.

_"I want to talk."_

_"About what?"_ Sora wrote back and passed it over.

_'That got his attention...'_ Kairi wasn't sure what she was doing here. She just really wanted to hang out with Sora today. Riku was going out of town for a game today and wouldn't be back until nine or ten that night. Just before Kairi was about to write back, the bell rang. Sora began packing his stuff and putting it in his bag, still quiet as ever. When he was done, he sat there and seemed to be waiting for Kairi.

"I guess you can come to my house." Sora said. "I'm sorry that... you lost your home."

"I've been staying with Riku and my parents are safe in a hotel. It's alright and it's definitely _not_ your fault." Kairi made sure to point this out because she had a feeling that Sora was blaming himself. He had been moody since he stepped into this classroom. They got up and headed for the door, where Riku was waiting. He had his gym bag crossed over his shoulder and had to be on the bus in about ten minutes, but of course he wanted to see Kairi before he left. Kairi greeted him with a hug while Sora just stood there, his head down.

_'Maybe I don't have anything to worry about. Kairi says I can trust her... and I do.'_ Riku thought. Kairi's arms were still wrapped around him, but he was focusing on Sora. "Hey, man. How are you doing?" he asked with the utmost concern. He had spent all of his time wondering if he would lose Kairi to Sora, when really all he was doing was over-thinking it all. At the end of the day, they were still his best friends and he still cared.

"Me?" Sora looked up; his face filled with hope. Riku nodded. "I'm... fine." Sora paused and glanced at Kairi. "Hey... is it okay if Kairi comes to my house?"

"Haha, why are you asking me, dork?" Riku laughed. A small smile formed across Sora's face. "You two be _good_." he joked. "I have to get going." Riku gave Kairi a kiss and held her close. "I love you, babe." Kairi blushed a deep red and grinned. She told Riku before that she wasn't ready to say that yet and Riku appreciated her honesty. However, that didn't stop him from taking one last chance to show Sora that she was his, despite his desperate attempts to trust them. He was surprised he could even touch Kairi after knowing she and Sora had sex. He was either the dumbest or nicest boyfriend out there, but he believed that they would not have done this if their lives weren't at stake. Riku waved and walked down the hall.

_'I hope I'm making the right decision...'_

Kairi smiled at Sora and they started on their way home. "Where is Roxas?" she asked.

"Probably going over to Namine's. He spends a lot of time with her." Sora didn't realize anything wrong with his sentence.

"So what happened between you two?" Kairi asked.

"...huh? Well, you know... we just... uh..." Sora tried to think of a way to change the subject. "Is this what you wanted to talk about?" he asked nervously.

"Oh..." Kairi turned her head in embarrassment. _'What did I want to talk about...?'_ She knew she couldn't ask him directly about what he felt; that would be the same as cheating on Riku in her opinion. At the same time, Kairi didn't want to keep it in any longer. Her feelings were starting to gain control of her.

When they got to Sora's aunt's house, Kairi sat on the couch in the living room while Sora went upstairs to change into more comfortable clothes. He came back down a few minutes later in just a white T-shirt and red gym shorts. Kairi could still see a few cuts on his arms and legs. "Do you want something to eat or drink?" Sora asked politely, heading towards the kitchen. His aunt and uncle were at work to their knowledge and wouldn't be home until later.

"Oh, no thanks." Kairi declined.

"Okay, well... I'm going to take my medicine. I'm having some pain. I'll be right back." Sora told her and went into the kitchen. Kairi heard the pill bottle open and the water turn on.

_'I wonder how many pills he has to take daily...' _Kairi leaned over a little so she could see him in the kitchen, but could only see part of his shirt and hair. She heard another pill bottle and a click. A few moments later, Sora came back into the room and sat in the recliner.

He was having trouble controlling his feelings too.

Sora couldn't look at Kairi for too long without blushing or feeling funny inside. She was the only person that could lighten his mood by just glancing at her and Sora hoped that his medicine would calm him down a little. As much as he thought that he had lost Kairi, now she felt closer than ever. _'Should I take it one step further?'_ Sora asked himself. Even though he doubted that that was what Kairi wanted, stalling or avoiding it wasn't making the situation any better. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to kiss her and make her happy. Maybe it was a bit selfish, but he wanted to know what could have been. He just didn't want to accept that maybe, just maybe there was not the slightest chance...

"So... why did you follow me?" Sora asked, trying to ignore the butterflies doing somersaults in his stomach.

"I told you... I was worried about you."

Sora sighed and fiddled with his thumbs nervously. "I'm sorry that you got hurt. I know you say it isn't my fault but I feel like it is. I feel terrible for putting you in that situation, even though..." Sora wasn't sure what he was saying. His nerves were circulating throughout his body and he just wished the medication would work faster.

"I chose to follow you. I chose to fight. I chose to tell the police what happened."

Sora's eyes widened. "So _that's_ why..." he trailed off. "Gosh... Kairi... you don't know what you've done..."

"Excuse me?" Kairi was a little offended by this.

"I mean... Kairi, you _never_ tell the police... ever..." Sora trembled. "I'm surprised they haven't done anything to Riku... god forbid..." Sora looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Yeah, well... they deserve to be locked up! I hate them!" Kairi yelled.

"Kairi, I don't think you realize what they're capable of..."

"And you would know?" Kairi crossed her arms stubbornly.

"I know that they would have killed us." Sora stood up and walked over to her. "I'm really glad that you're okay..."

"Sora..." Kairi calmed down as Sora sat next to her. He had that look in his eye—that look that Riku would get when he wanted to kiss or hold her. Sora reached for her hand and held onto it. Kairi was paralyzed. _'What is he doing? Why can't I move...?'_ Kairi tried to tell herself to move her hand away, but she was in a trance.

"I know I can't do much for you, but I will try to keep them away from you the best I can, even if it costs me my life." Sora said weakly. "You're special to me, Kairi. I want you to know that."

Normally Kairi would pull away and freak out in this situation, but damn it, Sora was just...

...he was just... Sora.

_'Alright, I'll just... give him a hug... and that will be the end of it. No harm in that, right? Right?!'_ Kairi reached over and pulled Sora in. Sora was a little surprised by this, but held onto her anyway. It helped him way more than any pill he had ever taken. Kairi voluntarily being this close to him made him feel so much better.

"Thanks, Sora. I'll... do the same for you. I... really care... about you." she told him. Sora began falling backward onto the couch, bring Kairi down with him so that she was laying on top of him. Kairi didn't say a word; just lay her head on his chest. This was going a little far, she knew, but at the same time... she felt at ease. Sora's heart pounded in her ear rapidly.

"Kairi...?"

"...hm?" her voice vibrated on his chest.

"Will you come upstairs with me...?" Sora gulped and waited anxiously for her to flip out and say no. However, it was taking her a while to respond. "I... I mean, never mind... we can just... stay here. I didn't mean that. The medication... it's the medication..." Sora lifted himself up and got off the couch. "I feel so stupid. Of course you don't want to do that. I'm sorry. I crossed a line. I'm stupid. I'm an idiot... I'm..." Sora stopped when Kairi stood up and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hush..." she whispered; her lips getting closer to his. Kairi breathed softly on Sora's neck. She wanted to kiss him so badly, but the thought of Riku held her back. In his mind, Sora was begging her to do more. However, Kairi let go of Sora and moved away from him. In a daze, Sora finally realized that she wasn't near him anymore.

"I'm sorry... I should go..." Kairi grabbed her things and headed towards the door. Part of her hoped that Sora would stop her and the other... well, the other was a bit naughty. She hesitated before opening the door just to test that, but Sora stayed in place. Kairi hurried out onto the driveway and away from the house. Sora stood at the door and watched the love of his life walk away.

_'No... I don't want her to leave...'_ Sora wasn't sure what came over him, but he started to run. Just before Kairi reached the street, he grabbed her hand and swung her around. Kairi looked up at him with a confused, but desperate expression. Sora looked deeply into her eyes and gathered up his courage to speak.

"I... need you..."

O-o-o

o-o-o

**A/N: **Is Kairi going to cheat on Riku? **Review** and tell me your predictions! Peace out!

Recommended stories: (All are in my favorites)  
><strong>NEW! <strong>My Somebody by xo skyla  
>Roxiri! Rated M. Hawtness guaranteed. Go check it out now!<p>

**ALMOST COMPLETE!** Finding Hikari by Princess-Xion  
>SoKai. Rated M. Go, go!<p>

Misguided Memories by Fujubop  
>SoKai but a few different pairings starting out. Great story so far!<p> 


	13. Spiral

**This chapter is INTENSE! I almost feel like it's TOO much...**

o-o-o

**Chapter Thirteen**  
>Spiral<p>

o-o-o

Sora held onto Kairi's hands tightly, anticipating her response. Kairi was in panic mode; as much as she really wanted Sora to do this, in the end she just couldn't go through with it. Riku trusted her. Kairi broke away from Sora.

"I have to go." she repeated, quickly turning around and going the other way.

"No, Kairi... don't go... don't leave me..." Sora begged, sending chills all throughout her body. He ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind in a desperate attempt to make her stay. "Please..." his grip tightened around her waist. Kairi tried her hardest to fight the urge to reciprocate him.

"Sora, I'm with Riku now..." she said almost in a whisper. Sora didn't move. "Sora, please... let go..." the lump in her throat wasn't helping and she felt like she wanted to cry. With her hands, she pulled on Sora's arms, but he was holding on. "Get off of me!" Kairi snapped, forcing him to back off. Kairi took a few steps away from him, but was heartbroken by the sorrowful expression on his face. She had never seen anyone so... upset. Sora nodded a few times and then turned sideways.

"O-O-okay. I'm... s-sorry..." he stuttered as he held back his tears. His fists clenched, as if to take off the pressure from crying and he started walking back to his house. Kairi felt absolutely terrible, but in her mind, it was better than betraying the man that loved her. She headed back over to Riku's house, thinking that eventually, everything would be okay. Kairi lay on Riku's bed with a short sigh of relief. She was glad that she didn't do anything past cuddling with him.

Although, it did make her wonder...

_'How does Sora __really__ feel about me? Because honestly... it really felt like he...'_

Kairi could deny Sora in her head a million times, but the revelation remained the same. Sora obviously loved her just as much as Riku did—if not more and Kairi was very confident that this conclusion was right. It was almost scary, considering all that Sora had been through in the past few weeks. _'For God sakes, he told me he would die for me...'_ a tingling sensation moved throughout her body. It was sweet and all, but at the same time...

Kairi didn't know how to feel about it.

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. Riku was calling. Kairi composed herself and answered.

"Hey, love. How is the game going?" Kairi asked.

"It's about to start, but I just wanted to call you first. I missed you." his voice soothed her and she felt all giddy inside.

"Aww, I missed you too. Good luck on your game!"

"Haha, thanks. Are you still with Sora? I wanted to talk with him for a second."

"Um... no. I'm back at your house..." Kairi paused, "On _your bed_..." she said in a seductive tone. It was the only way to make her temporarily forget that Sora tried to come on to her earlier, even if just for a moment.

"Oh, I guess I should hurry home then..." Riku said. "Wait for me?"

"I'll be here." Kairi giggled after.

"Alright, I gotta go. See you soon!"

"Wait, Riku?" Kairi said quickly.

"Yes?"

Kairi hesitated for a moment before speaking again, "I... love you."

There was a pause, then a small chuckle. "I love you too."

Kairi hung up the phone. It was almost like she was trying to convince herself of this and it felt kind of wrong, but after saying it, it actually made her feel kind of nice. _'I love Riku...'_ she repeated in her head a few times, feeling better each time. Kairi lay back on his bed and reminisced.

When he got home, she was going to prove it.

O-o-o

Vanitas checked into a motel on the outskirts of town. He had been avoiding any place that he thought his brother might possibly come looking for him, if he wanted to even do that at all. He had been drinking nearly every day for the past few days. He closed the blinds and the curtain and lay on his bed. The room had a foul stench, but he was too drunk to do anything about it. Smirnoff bottle in hand and the remote in another, he turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. He didn't realize that the motel only had about ten channels and kept going as he gulped down the liquor. He decided to stop on the news and just stare at the ceiling.

_"A woman was found deceased in her apartment complex in Twilight Town. Police have identified the woman as Rachel Yamada, a forty six year old originally from Destiny Islands Police believe it to be foul play. After a background check, they found that her ex-husband had just escaped prison a few days earlier. This is the screen shot of the husband, Bernie Yamada. He was recently locked up for domestic and child abuse among other charges."_ A picture of a man showed up. Vanitas could barely comprehend what he was hearing. _"No further details are available at this time."_

Vanitas shot up, but was met with the huge headache that he just realized he had. He tried to fixate his eyes on the television screen. "M-mom...? Dad...?" he squinted as he searched around groggily for his glasses. "You've gotta be... shitting me..." he pulled out his phone and tried searching for the story, but the motel's wifi really sucked. In a drunken stupor, he called the front office and demanded them to fix it, but they said it worked just fine. He slammed the phone down in rage and tried to wait for the internet to load. He searched his mother's name, having to re-type it a few times. His frustration grew as he struggled to get it right on the screen.

There it was—the story he had just heard along with pictures of his parents. Vanitas tried to focus, despite his intoxication. "Bernie Yamada..." he stared at the picture of his supposed father. He could barely recognize him. "He... escaped...?"

An overwhelming fear came over him as he threw the liquor bottle onto the floor. Vanitas started screaming and covering his head. "I... I have to tell Sora..." he tried going to his contacts, but he couldn't see straight. The letters were doubling and he wasn't sure if he was on Sora's name or not. In a panic, he dropped his phone on the bed and just swung back and forth, hugging his knees tightly, but he just felt like he would fall over. "Fuck... I... can't... tell Sora..." he felt sick. He was terrified. He didn't want to face his father again...

"Does... that mean he's... going to... come after us too?!" Vanitas could hardly breathe. "I... I need their help... I can't... take this..." Vanitas desperately tried calling Ventus, but he wasn't sure if that was who he was really calling.

No answer.

O-o-o

Sora did something he should never do when on medication—he took more pills than subscribed. He was desperate to filter out the pain of rejection by the girl he loved and his aunt didn't have any liquor. It wasn't working fast enough. Sora started having stomach pains as he lay sprawled out on his bed; his eyes watery and his entire body shaking. _'I'll never be good enough... I'll never get Kairi to love me...'_ he tried to ignore the pain, but everything was just coming out at once.

He needed _more_.

Rinoa came home first. "Sora, are you in there?" she asked, knocking on his door. "I brought home some chicken if you're hungry."

Sora sniffled and tried to muster a sentence, but all he could get out was a weak "okay." Rinoa didn't seem to think anything of it and just went back downstairs. Sora wanted to call his brother and ask him for a joint or _something_, but he remembered that his brother hated him too. Defeated, he set his phone down and tried taking a few deep breaths.

It was going to be a long night.

O-o-o

Riku finally got home around ten. Kairi met him in the kitchen with a kiss, then plugged her nose and backed away. "You stink." she said bluntly.

"Shower with me, then?" he asked. Kairi could barely contain her excitement as they went up to his room. His parents had already gone to bed, so them doing this was a bit daring. Kairi stood in the bathroom door. She had been waiting for him for hours and she just couldn't wait any longer. It was the perfect way to erase the fact that she was so tempted to do things with Sora and she just wanted Riku—right here, right _now_.

They discarded their clothes and hopped in the shower. "You're washing off before I touch you." Kairi told him. Riku laughed, grabbed the shower head and handed it to her.

"Do it for me." he said in a seductive tone. Kairi was surprised at how calm and comfortable she was around Riku. The water hit his back and washed off any mud, grass or other dirt on his body from the long game away from home. Kairi took the soap in her hand and caressed his back with it, then put it down and rubbed it all over him. At the same time, Riku washed his hair. Kairi had to admit, Riku did have a _nice_ body. He turned around and started rubbing her all over with soap, then pressed his body against hers. Riku liked the slippery effect as he started to kiss her and hold her in place. He took the shower head from her and put it back up where it was supposed to be. Kairi shivered a little from the cold air emitting from the open part of the shower curtain. Riku took her in his arms and turned her so that the water was hitting her back.

It became more heated as the couple started moving their hands all over the other's body; each killed filled with more passion than the last one. Kairi pushed Riku up against the shower wall and lifted up one leg, resting it on the side of the tub. Riku took his fingers and with a little soap, slid them directly into her. Kairi gasped and held onto him as he swiftly moved them inside her. Riku kissed her at the same time, not effecting the intensity. Kairi moaned in waves of ecstasy as Riku hit all the right spots—he was _definitely_ way better at this than Sora was and he knew how to make her feel _good_. With each movement Kairi felt closer and closer to her peak, but Riku just wouldn't let her get there that quickly. Riku switched places with her and now had Kairi against the wall. Riku was holding both of her hands up above her head with one hand while he kissed all over her neck and breasts and continued fingering her.

"Ah... Mmm... Riku... oh... my... god..." Kairi cried out when he finally entered inside of her and started thrusting.

"I hope that doesn't hurt," he whispered in between breaths and let her hands fall to her sides in limp as he held onto her hips. It felt so damn _good_, Kairi thought and she just couldn't get enough of him. Kairi couldn't believe that she missed out on this for so many years. Then, much to her surprise, Riku picked her up and thrust even faster. Kairi held onto him for dear life as she bounced up and down; her breasts smacking against his chest and chin as she tried to control herself. _'Sora could never do something like this...'_ Kairi wasn't sure why she was still comparing. Riku was everything she needed in a man—sexual desires aside. He was caring, respectful, not overly jealous or emotional and just the perfect bal-

"OH!" Kairi watched stars dancing above her as she was ready to reach her climax. Riku was almost there too—his grunts were becoming more frequent and he could barely hold her anymore. "Ah, yes Riku... faster... mm..." Kairi begged and Riku delivered. With one final thrust, Kairi felt her juices seeping out of her. Riku was so caught up in the moment that he didn't even pull out when he came; he just loved this girl so much. They both let out gasps of exhaustion and Riku finally put her down. Kairi held onto him, not even worried that he just came inside of her. She truly felt like Riku was the one she was meant to be with.

"I... freaking love you..." Riku said as he tried to catch his breath. A smirk stretched across his face as he went in for another kiss.

"I love you too..." they proceeded to make out in the shower for another five minutes before getting out and falling asleep in each other's arms—naked.

O-o-o

The next day at school, Kairi and Riku were closer then ever—their faces beaming with happiness as they walked down the hall. Everyone probably figured out that they did something the night before, but neither of them cared. They ran into Roxas and Namine.

"Whoa, look at you two!" Roxas exclaimed, holding Namine close to him. "I know that expression anywhere." Namine blushed and turned her head, but Kairi and Riku took it in stride.

"What can I say? When you love someone, you just do." Riku responded, kissing Kairi on the forehead. She was on cloud nine and had forgotten all about the fact that she even hung out with Sora. Roxas and Namine just laughed.

"Well, we're happy for you." Namine told them.

All of a sudden, there was a loud eruption of "Ooh's" down the hall, as if a fight had started. The two couples stood there and tried to figure out what was going on from where they were standing, but obviously couldn't see anything. Olette came running over to Kairi and pulled on her desperately.

"You guys... it's Sora! Those new kids took him into the bathroom..."

"Sora?!" Kairi and Riku said in unison; their blissful mood suddenly turning sour. "Kairi, stay here!" Riku rushed off towards the crowd, but Kairi didn't listen and was right behind him.

"You seem to forget that we took the same martial arts!" Kairi reminded him as they pushed through the crowd. "Move!" Even teachers were trying to see what was happening and the police were probably already called. Riku flung the bathroom door open and he and Kairi saw Sora on the floor. The new students were standing over him, taking turns kicking him.

"Hey, Zack... watch this! HIYA!" she elbowed him in the gut and laughed like a maniac.

"Great job, Xion." Zack then grabbed Sora's ankles and slid him across the floor.

"Oww, stop it! Please... who are you?! What did I do to y-" Sora was kicked in the stomach. Riku ran over and tackled the guy from behind, locking him in a headlock. Kairi took on the girl, who had just noticed that they were there.

"Leave our friend alone!" Kairi demanded, delivering a swift kick to the girl's jaw, now known as Xion. Xion lost her balance and hit the stall; rage filled her eyes. Kairi didn't hesitate to attack her once again, but this time Xion blocked. Riku was in a fist fight with the other guy, Zack. He avoided each punch easily, then proceeded to knee him right in the stomach and cuff his neck firmly with his hand. Zack struggled at Riku's grasp; he honestly thought this would be a bit easier. Riku forced Zack into a stall and pushed his head into a toilet (one that wasn't flushed, might I add). Riku didn't care if piss covered this guy's face.

"NOBODY HURTS MY FRIEND!" Riku yelled as he held Zack's head there for a few more moments before letting him come up for air. Zack gagged and vomited all over the floor.

"You'll pay for this..." Zack mustered, slumped over on the floor. Meanwhile, Kairi had the upper hand with Xion; she was on the ground with Kairi on top of her, punching her repeatedly. Sora was in shock that they were helping him like this, but the amount of pain he endured before they got here was unbearable. Finally, some teachers came in and broke up the fight. Riku went over to Sora and helped him up, but he was weak.

"Don't worry, buddy... we'll take care of you..."

"Riku..." Sora coughed, "...please don't... make me go to the hospital..."

"Do you have any broken bones?" Riku asked, seriously considering his request. Sora had seen enough doctors and nurses.

"I... don't think so... it just... hurts..."

Kairi stood over them; her face filled with horror. The teachers escorted them all to the principal's office and Sora to the nurse's office. Riku and Kairi got suspension, despite the fact they were trying to save Sora.

"I hope this doesn't mean that you're kicked off the team..."

"The coach would understand." Riku told her. "I'm one of the best players." as much as Riku didn't want to admit his special privilege on the soccer team, it was true. The team needed him and his coach knew that Riku wouldn't fight unless one of his friends were in danger—like today.

He just hoped that Sora would be okay.

O-o-o

o-o-o

**A/N:** Well, there you have it – Chapter thirteen. I hope it's not too much, because shit's about to hit the fan. I really appreciate those that continue to review—it's what keeps me going. I've worked hard on these chapters and it's nice when people reciprocate that. So you don't have to leave a **review**, but do know that all feedback is welcome. And for those of you that have followed and favorited, thank you so much as well.

Remember to check out and review the stories in my favorites section!

'til next time!


	14. Light

**A/N: **I feel like I have to get this out. This story is loosely based on a true story. The feelings and perceptions going on are very much real—and the drama is not just to be dramatic or get reactions. I understand that Kingdom Hearts will never get this dark and Sora is the sweetest character ever. (I heart Sora). When someone is dealing with depression and a troubled past, what would you expect? Of course things are going to be over the top at times. The struggles between friends, especially when two friends like the same person, although a common cliché theme in fics it does happen. Mix that with a traumatic past and things are bound to blow up. With that in mind, you don't have to continue reading if you don't want to. Nobody is making you read this.

Also, let's just pretend for two seconds that Ventus is very distinguishable from Roxas.

Damn KH and your look-alike characters...

O-o-o

**Chapter Fourteen**  
>Light<p>

o-o-o

Riku and Kairi took Sora back to Riku's house. They all settled in his room; Sora lay on the bed. Kairi set a glass of water down on the nightstand. He had a black eye and was bruised all over his arms, face and legs. Sora made eye contact with Kairi. He was numb. There were times that Sora wished he could just turn off his feelings, but occasionally it would happen if things got bad enough. He wouldn't think, he wouldn't feel. He would just be in a lifeless state. It usually didn't last for more than a few minutes, but it was the best few minutes in a very long time. Kairi sat on the edge of the bed and held onto his hand. Riku was preparing a wash rag in the bathroom, so the sound of water running down the drain was a slight comfort. He handed the rag to Kairi, who then began wiping Sora's face gently.

"Thanks, guys..." Sora said; his numb state fading into a an overwhelming sorrow. He reached for the wash rag and Kairi gave it to him. "You don't... have to do that..." Sora sat up, flinching from the pain in his abdomen. Zack and Xion kicked him in that area a lot. Sora stared absentmindedly at the sheets in front of him. "They just... grabbed me..." he whispered; his fists tightening on the sheets. Kairi gave him a sympathetic look and reached for his hand, but hesitated. Just yesterday, she was cuddled with Sora on the couch. The thought of it made her cringe, but she tried not to think about it. She was pretty sure that Sora was thinking the same thing; he had been staring at her a lot with a lost expression in his eyes.

"Well, we took care of them. They won't be coming near you again." Kairi assured him with confidence. Sora glanced over at her and half-smiled.

_'I'm just glad she's here...'_

"Sora, if you need anything," Riku's voice interrupted, "let us know."

_'Gosh, Riku's really nice to me. I don't know why, though...'_ Sora thought as he admired Kairi. _'I wish I could hold her again...'_

Kairi's phone went off and she left the room to answer it. Riku handed Sora the controller to the TV and sat over in his desk chair. He didn't know what to say to his best friend. He just felt terrible for him. "So... you've been through a lot, huh?"

"Yeah." Sora responded.

"Well, I just don't want you think we don't care about you." Riku turned his head, as if he was a little embarrassed to say this. "You're welcome here any time."

"Honestly, I thought you hated me." Sora said with a small chuckle.

"I don't hate you." Riku told him. "I was just... insecure."

"Hey, Riku?"

"What's up?" Riku's eyes met his.

"I have a lot of problems... and sometimes, I can't really control myself... but I will try not to be so... annoying." Sora said earnestly.

"You're not annoying. I know that you've had a pretty tough time."

Kairi came back into the room and set her phone on Riku's desk. "My mom found out about the suspension. She's pissed."

"I'm sorry," Sora apologized, his gaze returning to the edge of the bed.

"It's not your fault. My mom just puts academics before everything else." Kairi took a seat on the floor and rested her chin on both hands. "You know, it's been a while since we were all together like this."

"Yeah, it has." Sora agreed. "I missed it." the room was quiet for a few moments, then Kairi perked up.

"Hey, you know what we should do? Let's play Mario Party... just like old times."

"That sounds fun. You up for it, Sora?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, definitely." Sora couldn't help but smile. Kairi and Riku set up the nintendo 64 and handed Sora a controller. As he held it in his hands, the only good memories he had of his childhood arose. _'Kairi and Riku still care about me...'_

"Ready to lose?!" Kairi exclaimed, turning on the console and making herself comfortable on the floor. This was a good way to distract Sora from all of the pain he was having, she thought, so even if she had to play all day and night she would. The fact that he came onto her yesterday was on the back burner and she just wanted to enjoy this time with her boyfriend and best friend.

Riku was feeling a little better about having Sora around too. Maybe getting suspended wasn't so bad after all. The trio could just spend some much needed time together. As they continued playing the game, Sora's fears and pain were replaced with happiness.

Pure happiness.

"Hey, why did you knock me over?!" Sora joked and tightened his grip on the controller as he got more into the game.

"I know you're _way_ better at this game than that!" Kairi said; her eyes glued to the screen.

"Oh, you're _on_!" Sora said. Riku just played passively, not caring if he won or lost.

"You're not going to get me!"

'Haha! Sora, you were asking for that one!"

"Riku, come on! You're not being serious!" Sora yelled, "If we're going to be on a team, we have to act like it!"

Kairi had forgotten how competitive Sora and Riku were around each other, and how much more competitive they were when they were working together. She was in for quite the challenge, so she prepared herself for it. "Alright, fine. Let's win this then. Now when I move right, you do the same, okay?" Riku started paying more attention.

"Hey, no fair! I'm stuck with the stupid computer!" Kairi whined as she tried harder to go against the duo, but it was to no avail. Sora and Riku crossed the finish line and won the mini-game.

"Haha, yeah!" Sora threw his hands in the air to celebrate, ignoring the pain in his shoulders and arms. "Take _that_, Kairi!"

"Oh shut up!" Kairi pouted. "I still have more stars and coins!"

"That can be taken." Riku said with confidence as he landed on the right spot. Kairi glared over at him.

"Don't you even dare..."

"Ohh, what are you going to do, sweetheart?" Riku challenged, then proceeded to take one of her stars. "I'm in first place now." Kairi pouted some more.

"Ugh, Sora, it's your turn." Kairi told him, but he was too busy adoring her. "Sora?"

"Oh, right."

Even if Kairi was losing the game, all that mattered was that Sora was having a good time.

O-o-o

Roxas and Namine entered his empty house. Roxas put his school bag down and searched for Sora. All day he had heard about the fight in the bathroom that morning. After realizing that he wasn't there, Roxas got out his phone to call him. Namine came up to him.

"No answer." Roxas sighed and put his phone down.

"I'm sure he's fine. I heard Riku and Kairi were suspended along with him."

"But why was Sora suspended?" Roxas asked. "He was the victim."

"Maybe the principal thought he needed a break... although, he's pretty behind in his school work. He may not pass..." Namine pulled some notebooks out of her back pack. "That's why I went around and gathered his homework for him."

"Again, he's suspended. Work doesn't count when that happens."

"The teachers were a little more sympathetic. Besides, I know how to be persuasive."

"Thank you, Namine..." Roxas sat down on the couch.

"You need a break." she said, kissing his cheek. "Why don't you come to my little sister's softball game?"

"Okay, after I figure out where Sora is."

Roxas couldn't do anything until he knew that Sora was safe. He called Riku, who then answered and assured him that Sora was okay with them. Roxas was emotionally drained, but he still had to look after his cousin. It was what he was accustomed to and no matter what, he would always feel this sense of duty no matter how much of a burden it was.

o-o-o

Vanitas refused to leave his motel room. He left the "do not disturb" tag on the outside of the door so the housekeeper wouldn't bother him. He ordered three boxes of pizza the other day and lived off of that, but even then he could barely eat. He knew he should be distracting himself, but all he could think about were the harsh memories of his past and the overwhelming guilt he harbored deep inside.

He loved his mother, even if she left him and Sora. But now she was gone.

Vanitas sat upright and buried his face in his hands. He was too exhausted to even cry; he had done that ever since he watched the news the day before. Mentally, he was torn. He knew if he told Sora that their father was out there somewhere, Sora would have endless nightmares and become really distraught over it. He couldn't do that to his brother, but at the same time if his dad were to come after them...

"No... it's better not to tell him... I'll suffer this one alone..."

And so, he did.

O-o-o

Kairi and Riku walked Sora back to his house down the street. Since it was a little difficult for him to walk, Sora had his arms around their shoulders and limped a little. "Today was a lot of fun, despite what happened this morning." Sora said as they came up to the front door.

"Do you need our help getting upstairs?" Riku asked. Sora let go of them and leaned against his door.

"Nah, I should be okay..." Sora paused for a moment and then looked up at Riku, "hey... could you give me and Kairi a moment?" He knew that he was just _asking_ for trouble, but he couldn't help it.

"Umm..." Riku's eyes shifted over to Kairi, who merely shrugged. She had no idea why Sora was asking this. Holding back whatever sketchy feelings he had, he decided to accept Sora's request and walked over to the driveway, out of ear shot. Kairi felt kind of bad, but she was also kind of curious as to what Sora had in mind. Sora made sure Riku wasn't looking, then as quickly as he could, (which was pretty slow with how injured he was), he leaned forward and planted a kiss on Kairi's cheek. Kairi froze and stalled for a moment.

"I had to do that." a lopsided grin formed on Sora's face. He knew he was playing with fire, but it was something he wanted to do for a while now. He couldn't hold it in any longer. The day he spent with his best friends somehow gave him the confidence to do it. Kairi couldn't say or do anything. Even though it happened so fast, she couldn't believe that he would do that with Riku just a few feet away.

"I'm... going to go..." was all she could muster as she walked towards Riku; her eyes glued to the pavement. Riku gave her a questionable look, but stayed quiet. Sora waited until they were down the street before going inside.

Now he could feel stupid.

Sora stepped into the house and leaned his back against the door. Leon greeted him for the living room, but at first Sora didn't hear him. Waves of regret were flowing through his body and he just felt like a complete idiot. _'She's going to hate me now. Why did I do that? Why am I so...'_

"Sora?" Leon called out louder, snapping Sora out of his reverie.

"Oh... hey..." Sora put one foot forward at a time as he headed over to the stairs. He grabbed onto the railing. He had no idea if his uncle knew about what happened to him today or that he was on suspension, but he didn't seem to know. Going up the stairs was a struggle in itself as the pain returned (consciously; it was always there). By some sort of miracle, he finally made it upstairs. Sora opened the door to his bedroom and flipped the switch.

"Hey, stranger. Been a while." a voice said from the corner of the room. In a panic, Sora turned. It was Ventus.

"How did you-" Sora trailed off.

"You really should learn to lock your window. But hey, I'm not here to hurt you or anything like that. What are you getting into tonight?"

"Umm..." Sora stared at him for a moment. He never really hung out with Ventus before. From what he knew, he was a friend of Axel's that liked to smoke pot and snort cocaine. Speaking of Axel...

"Axel's not around anymore and I can't find your brother anywhere. I'm so _bored_..." Ventus pouted. "Hey, what happened to you, man?" he asked, noticing the bruises. But the truth was he knew very well what happened.

"Oh, uh... it's nothing... I'm fine."

"So you'll come with me?"

"Where are we going?"

"Just running some errands. Nothing too major."

"I'm really tired..."

Ventus sighed and crossed his arms. "Let me put it this way. You are coming with me if you know what's good for you."

"What does that mean?"

Ventus started to laugh as he walked over to a very confused Sora. "Come on, it will be _fun_."

"Um, okay..."

o-o-o

Sora had to tackle making it down the stairs again. Ventus told him he would meet him outside, then proceeded to leave through Sora's bedroom window. The house was quiet now; Leon must have gone to bed along with Rinoa. It was just past eleven o'clock. Before getting to the front door, Sora went into the kitchen and took his pain medication, along with the prescribed ones for his mood swings. He knew they wouldn't help much, but he figured he would do it anyway.

Ventus was waiting out in a silver Lexus in the driveway. Sora got into the passenger's side and buckled up. Ventus handed him a magazine of some sort. "Hold this out flat for me." Sora raised his eyebrow at the strange request, but did it anyway. He couldn't keep it still; his arms were too weak so they shook a little. Ventus pulled out a small bag with what looked like cocaine and Sora nearly flipped out.

"No! I'm not doing this!" Sora went to unlock the door, but he couldn't. Ventus put the child locks on. "Let me out of here!"

"I just told you to hold it for me. Did I say that you have to snort it?" Ventus glared. "Now do it before I get _really_ mad."

Sora didn't want to take any chances on getting hurt any more than he already was, so he picked up the magazine and tried to hold it still. Ventus took a spoon and put a small amount on the surface of the paper, then neatly arranged it into a straight line. Sora was shaking by now; he really didn't know what to expect. For all he knew, Ventus could be taking him straight to the organization after this...

"What is wrong with you? You messed up my line!"

"I-I-'m sorry..." Sora tried to keep it still, but his arms were giving in. Ventus hurried and the drug went straight up his nose. Sora rested his arms with a sigh of relief while Ventus flung his head back and waited for the effect.

"Don't you want some?"

"No..." Sora said. They were still in the driveway and Sora couldn't believe that Ventus was doing this out in the open. He looked over at him; Ventus' eyes were closed and his head was facing towards the ceiling of the car.

"Let's go." Ventus said, starting the car and backing out. He didn't plan to make Sora do anything just yet.

But sometimes, those plans can change in the blink of an eye.

O-o-o

o-o-o

**A/N:** This chapter was a bit short (in my opinion) but I'm building things up pretty slowly (and I'm doing it on purpose!). You know to leave a **review**! Have a lovely night... or day!

Also,

Thanks so much to TwilightIsn'tLiterature, my 100th reviewer. Go check out the new one-shot in my profile called "Collide!"


	15. Euphoria

**A/N:** This chapter has symptoms of bipolar depression and mania. If you don't understand, research it and proceed with caution. It is in no way meant to be humorous.

On with the chapter!

O-o-o

**Chapter Fifteen**  
>Euphoria<p>

o-o-o

Kairi appeared flushed as she went past Riku. Riku glanced back and Sora but followed behind her, catching up so that he could be next to her. His expression asked the questions for him, but Kairi was too fluttered. She was experiencing a lot of mixed feelings, even though it was just a small peck on the cheek. _'I made the right choice... didn't I...?'_

It wasn't even something she should be wondering about, especially not with Riku there. Just yesterday, they were happy as ever and now she was questioning the entire relationship based off of one little thing that only lasted a second. Kairi thought her crush on Sora that she had for so many years was gone and replaced with the love she realized she had with Riku. She thought she could forget.

"What did he say?" Riku finally asked.

"Just that..." Kairi scrambled to figure out something to cover up her obvious state of fluctuation. "He said thank you again... you know, for helping him feel better."

"He couldn't do that in front of me?" Riku gave her a strange look as he opened his front door. Kairi didn't respond and went straight to the bathroom to get away from the pressure. She could feel herself getting irritated and really didn't want to fight with Riku about this, but it may have been inevitable. Riku stood on the other side of the door; his suspicions flying through the roof. "Kairi, are you alright? Did he say something bad to you?"

"No, he didn't... look, I'll be upstairs in a minute..."

Not wanting to be overbearing or critical, Riku sighed and went upstairs. His mind was flooded with possibilities. He wasn't an idiot. Kairi was obviously in some sort of good mood and yet Sora couldn't say (or do) whatever he needed to with Riku looking? As much as Riku wanted to trust him, he had his doubts. Kairi came into the room and started changing into her pajamas. Riku stared at her, his thoughts racing.

"Kairi, if there's something you need to tell me-"

"There's nothing!" Kairi snapped. She pulled up her shorts and went over to the other side of the bed. Riku tried to control himself, but he just wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"He must have said something. You're acting really weird."

"Just shut up." Kairi pulled the covers over her head. Riku took off his shirt and got under the covers as well, but faced the other way. The couple was quiet for a while as they both tried to calm down. After about ten minutes, Riku turned over and got a little closer to her. He didn't want to fight. He didn't want to be the jerk.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, lightly kissing across her shoulder a few times. She didn't respond, but she seemed a little less tense. Riku slipped his hand around her stomach and pressed his body up against her back. Kairi didn't move away, but he knew she was still awake. "Do you forgive me?"

"I guess..." Kairi mumbled. She positioned herself a little more comfortably. _'What Sora did... means nothing. Just like when we were forced to have sex... I won't let it get to me... I have Riku and Riku is perfect for me. I can't ruin it because of some old, unrequited feelings...'_

Easier said than done. Kairi knew that her crush on Sora was simply based off of dreams and wishful thinking, other than the fact that he was completely adorable. But just because she had a small physical attraction and fell for his charismatic personality (which now she sees that there is way more to him than she ever could ever even imagine), that didn't mean that she absolutely had to be with him. Kairi was happy with the way things were with Riku and was glad that she chose to pursue a relationship with her other best friend. It was amazing how long his feelings went unnoticed. They just kind of _clicked_. Although it was confusing at first, Kairi got more used to it over the course of the last month, despite all of the drama with Sora. Besides, Sora was mentally ill. Kairi didn't know how that would affect having a relationship with him, but he just seemed overly needy and to Kairi, that would probably piss her off eventually. She couldn't deny that Sora made her weak in the knees, but Kairi desperately wanted to fight it.

Riku was the perfect balance. She couldn't screw that up.

O-o-o

Ventus pulled into the parking lot of an infamous club. Sora gave him a confused look. "I'm only seventeen. I can't go in there. What are we doing here?"

"Shut up and get out of the car." Ventus demanded and Sora did as he was told. He was feeling overly anxious; he had no idea why they came to such a place. Sora tried to keep up with Ventus as they walked up to the door. A guy with messy red hair and a ponytail greeted him at the door.

"Ventus, what's up my man?"

"Hey, Reno. Terra here?"

"You know it. He always comes for ladies night." Reno let him pass. Ventus waited at the door. "Who is this?"

"He's with me. Code 135."

_'Code what?'_ Sora was bewildered, but Reno seemed to understand and let him through. Sora trotted behind Ventus. Loud music filled his ears as they stepped into the bar/club. Sora felt very uncomfortable being here. It was very lively and cramped as they moved through and towards the back. The air was think and almost suffocating. Ventus seemed to be looking for someone. They walked up a set of stairs that led to an outside smoking area. Terra, Aqua and another woman were over by the railing, smoking.

"Yo!" Terra waved at Ventus. He came over quickly and Sora made sure to not fall behind. "What's going on? What do I owe ya?"

"$450 for everything. Pay up, dipshit." Ventus joked, putting out his hand.

"Really? You bought _that_ much?" Aqua rolled her eyes and conversed with the other girl. "Tifa, my fiance is an addict. Don't mind him."

"I figured as much. Terra is always high."

"He buys the good stuff." Ventus added. "Pure, _fine_ and the best effect."

Sora stood there with his hands in his pockets, still unsure as to why Ventus wanted to include him in this. Although he was usually pretty used to cigarette smoke, he was starting to feel a bit nauseous.

"Everyone, this is Sora," Ventus threw his arm around Sora's shoulder. "Remember him? He came to the house that one day."

"Oh, right! I remember." Terra said, but his baffled expression said otherwise. Sora didn't take offense to it; he'd rather not remember that night.

"He's adorable. Can I pet him?" Tifa asked, coming up to Sora.

"Do whatever you like, but I have to have him home before bedtime." Ventus said proudly, stepping away so that Tifa could pat Sora's forehead. Sora didn't move and just let her fondle his shoulders.

"Ugh, that's gross, Tifa. Sora, how old are you?" Aqua asked.

"Uh... seventeen..." he responded sheepishly, his eyes planted on the floor. That didn't stop Tifa, however. She pulled him close to her.

"I want to keep him with me for a while!" she exclaimed. Terra and Aqua glared at her with disgust.

"You're such a child molester." Terra said and laughed. Sora flinched at those words.

"Yeah, he's so young."

Ventus could see Sora's obvious discomfort with the matter. "Well, gotta go. I have a few more taxes to collect. Business is business." he starting walking off in the other direction. "Sora, come!" he called out, like he was a dog. Sora was glad to get away from the older woman. They headed back to his car.

"Ventus, how long am I going to be out...?" Sora asked.

"Why? Do you want to go home?"

"Preferably..." Sora's eyes shifted in the other direction. Suddenly, Ventus slammed his hand on the dashboard, startling him.

"I don't have time to take you home right now, so just shut up and enjoy the ride."

Sora complied and shut his mouth. Ventus went to a few more places, collecting money from other drug dealers and 'customers' each time, but he didn't make Sora get out of the car anymore. Sora was starting to become restless; he just couldn't stand sitting around like this. He didn't want to know what Ventus brought him for anymore, he just wanted to go home. His thoughts were jumbled and his energy started to rise. He had the sudden urge to listen to opera music. Ventus returned to the car and noticed Sora's sudden increase in mood and energy.

_'So he does have bipolar tendencies.'_ Ventus pondering, remembering what he read in the hospital report that Zexion provided. This was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation. Ventus pulled out of the parking lot of the minit mart they were at and drove off quickly. He sped down the road with the windows down. Sora flapped his arm out the window as he smiled to himself and felt the air on his face. He began singing some song that just popped up in his head.

"Hey," Ventus nudged him in the shoulder. Sora looked over to him, but quickly looked away. He was having several different thoughts happening simultaneously and it was overwhelming him, but his exuberance was over the top at this point. Ventus was amazed at how quickly Sora transitioned from his quiet self to such an overconfident person. "Hey, Sora... chill for a minute."

"So when are you taking me home? I think I need to do something. I just need to get home. Are you going to let me?" Sora could feel himself losing control as he rapidly slipped into a state of euphoria. He pulled out his phone and called Kairi. She didn't answer, so he called again. And again.

"Sora?" Kairi answered finally, sounding groggy. "What's going-"

"What are you doing?" Sora asked eagerly.

"What? I was asleep..."

Ventus watched as Sora endlessly questioned her. It was like he was on a roller coaster than never ended and Ventus was truly astounded by it. Sora was slowly losing it by the minute. He stopped in front of Sora's house, but kept the doors and windows locked. Kairi hung up on Sora and now he was going on about the meaning of life, but constantly switching to other philosophies.

"Who was that?" Ventus asked.

"Who, on the phone? Kairi. She's my best friend and I like her but I don't think she likes me. Hey, are you going to let me out or what?"

"Wait, I want to give you something." Ventus pulled a gram of cocaine out of his pocket. He just couldn't let this opportunity pass; Sora had lost all proper judgment. He grabbed Sora's hand, but the bag in it and closed his hand so he held onto it. "This is for you. Use it if you want. I lied and charged Terra a little extra to make up the difference, so you won't get-"

"This? I don't want this. I don't need it." Sora bounced up and down in his seat and tried messing with the door handle. Ventus didn't want to, but he just put the small bag into Sora's pocket. Sora didn't really do anything about it, he was so distracted by everything else going on in his head. Ventus finally unlocked the door and Sora jumped out of the car, forgetting about the pain he endured from the beating that morning. He was going at a million miles an hour and he couldn't wait to get inside and just start cooking intricate recipes from scratch while he doodled in his notebook. When he got inside, instead of doing that he went straight into the living room and started copying down words and definitions from the dictionary, not even realizing he was doing it.

O-o-o

Kairi quietly got dressed and put on her shoes. Riku seemed to be sound asleep. Something was wrong with Sora, she thought so she at least wanted to go and check on him. She quietly closed the door and hurried down the street to Sora's house. She got out her phone and called him when she got to the door.

"Hang on," Sora said when he picked up. She heard scribbling on a page.

"Sora? Sora, answer me right now."

"Yeah, what's up?" he asked, but seemed very disengaged.

"Open your door."

"What?"

"I'm outside, open the door!"

"You're here?! Oh shit!" he left his phone on the table and hurried over to the door. Kairi wasn't quite sure what she was getting herself into...

"Alright, so here's what we're going to do..." Sora said after opening the door and tugging on her arm excitedly. "I'll get the pastels, you get the brushes." he skipped down the hallway towards the closet. Kairi closed the front door and stood there, stunned. Sora came back with a million paint bottles in his hands and dropped them onto the floor in the living room (they were all closed, thank goodness). He sat down and seemed to have completely forgotten that she was there and started opening them one bottle at a time. Kairi rushed over and grabbed them out of his hands, placing them safely onto the table. Sora just looked at her for a moment and then went back to writing words from the dictionary, baffling the redhead.

"Sora, what is going on?!"

"I don't know, I just really feel the need to do this. You can write with me if you want."

"No thanks..."

Kairi didn't really know about Sora's mental illness. She had only gotten a general description of it, but that was it. She had never seen him so hyperactive in her life. Sora set the dictionary down and stood up. Kairi tried to get him to chill out, but it was no use. He hugged her tightly, smelling the lilac scent in her hair. "You're so pretty," he admired her once more. He then let go and went off into the kitchen. He couldn't stop himself. He couldn't think properly. He couldn't _function_.

Roxas came home and stood there with Kairi and watched as his cousin started doing math problems on the little dry erase board attached to the fridge. It was like he was writing sixty words per minute and Roxas knew immediately what was happening.

"...Roxas, what's... going on..." Kairi deadpanned.

"There's nothing we can do right now. He's having full blown mania. It's part of bipolar disorder and it doesn't happen to him too often, but when it does, steer clear and just make sure he doesn't do anything too rash..."

"He's been like this since I got here... he called me repeatedly and it prompted me to come over..."

"Yeah, he'll do that. It's best to just take his phone away. He tends to forget about it anyway." they watched as Sora erased the problems on the board and started new ones. "Right now, even though he seems occupied and hyper, it's actually not that bad. If you want, you can go on home. I'll watch him."

"No, I think I should stay here." Kairi didn't know exactly what possessed her to say such a thing, but she was intrigued. This was definitely a side she had never seen of Sora before and by witnessing it first hand, maybe she could possibly understand him better. She almost wanted to call Riku over here.

Roxas was a little sketchy about letting her stay up with him, but eventually he agreed. "If he becomes too much for you to handle, just come and get me. He loses all inhibitions and rational thought when he's like this. Just be careful, okay?" Roxas stated and then went off to bed.

Sora went from math problems, to reading books, to streaming videos about the difference between a bagel and a plain doughnut. (Yes, there were videos for it for some reason and he was fascinated nonetheless). She followed him all over the house, worried that his aunt and uncle would come out and scold him any second, but Roxas may have informed them on what was happening. She just rolled with it and tried to keep a close eye on him, hoping he wouldn't do anything stupid. Eventually they ended up in his room and he started messing with his Wii. He started a Wii sports game and played for a while, refusing to take a break.

Kairi wasn't sure how long this went on until she finally checked the time. It was nearly four in the morning and he was still bouncing off the walls. Kairi was clearly exhausted, but there seemed to be no end to his energy. Kairi nearly passed out on his bed; it was like chasing around a small child all night. She just couldn't handle him anymore. Sora stopped his game and dived straight onto the bed, laughing loudly as he did so. Kairi dodged and let him have some room.

"Kairi, don't you ever think about flying?"

"Not particularly..."

"Just going away to another place where you don't have to worry about a thing? I have to wonder," his speech felt forced like he couldn't stop, "when they _do_ make flying cars, how would they fucking regulate them in the sky? Wouldn't people just be flying all over the place? And wouldn't people want to just keep going higher and higher and drive along with the planes? They'll probably have to take precautionary measures and have some air police. Oh MAN! That would be so fun to be an air policeman. I would freaking _die_ of happiness if I could just be up in the air but I think that would hurt my ears so I would have to chew a lot of gum to get rid of the pressure and what about birds? What would you call it if you hit a bird? Air kill? No, that sounds weird. I'm going to invent a new term-"

Sora just went on.

And on.

And on.

"But you know what I _really_ want to do Kairi? I want to fucking touch you and kiss you and hold you because you just look so fucking hot right now."

"Wait, what?!" before she could fully comprehend his statement, Sora climbed over to her and grabbed her hips. He plunged forward and kissed her right on the lips, engaging her in a swarm of passion that she had never experienced in her life. It happened so fast that she didn't have any time to react, all the while Sora was getting rougher and practically digging his tongue into her mouth, fighting for dominance. Kairi tried to push him off of her in a panicked state. She managed to break away from under him and went over to the door. Sora had that look of lust and desire glistening in his eyes as he came after her, seriously scaring Kairi. Sora placed one hand next to her head and the other stroked her chin as he went in for another kiss. Kairi wanted to scream and get him away from her, but she was trapped. She was trapped in the exquisite beauty that was Sora and there was no saving her from this. Even her martial arts background couldn't stop Sora from latching onto her hip and pulling her forward. They fell onto the floor and Sora got on top of her.

She didn't know how to stop him without hurting him in the process.

O-o-o

o-o-o


	16. Delusional

**A/N:** Be prepared for a very emotional first part of the chapter.

O-o-o

**Chapter Sixteen**  
>Delusional<p>

O-o-o

Sora held Kairi down by her wrists and left kisses all over her face, neck and breasts. Kairi turned her head every which way to avoid him. She knew she could easily get away but she didn't want to hurt him. However, she needed to think of something—and fast. Sora was sucking on her nipple—and not in the pleasurable way. In fact, it really was starting to hurt. He moved back up and Sora's tongue entered her mouth and she began to choke as he uncontrollably slobbered on her face and neck. It wasn't the least bit enjoyable. His hands were squeezing her breasts so tightly that she cried out; her legs kicking up and down, but Sora had way more strength than she expected.

"Kairi... I want you... I fucking want you... damn it... I love you so much... I need you..." he clutched onto her jaw and jolted her head upward so he could easily get to her lips, then roughly kissed her as he gripped her jawline. Kairi tried pushing him off of her with her free hand; her care for his well being was slipping rapidly. When she was trying to avoid him, her bottom lip jammed against his own jawline so hard that she started to taste blood. Sora didn't notice at all. He let go of her face and tried to tug forcefully on her pants. When that didn't work, he started rubbing her clitoris in an awkward and tough manner. Kairi squirmed beneath him. It didn't feel good at all. She couldn't let this go on any longer. Kairi wrapped her legs around his back and flipped him over, taking her chance to escape. Sora just got right back up and tried tackling her, but Kairi dodged and fled for the door once again.

"Sora, _stop it_!" Kairi yelled, but it was futile. Sora wrapped his arms around her and started trying to french kiss her, but kept missing her mouth.

"Blow me, Kairi. Do it..." he tried forcibly pushing her down onto her knees, but Kairi didn't comply. That was it. With one swift movement, she kneed him right in the abdomen, mentally apologizing right after, but nonetheless it needed to be done. Sora fell onto his back and hacked, holding his stomach and kicking his legs in a sudden unmanageable rage. "You... you were trying to kill me!" Sora yelled, his eyes wider than saucers as he shook in terror. "You..."

Images flashed before his eyes—delusions that he couldn't quite comprehend but that freaked him out. He heard what he thought to be Kairi and Roxas' voices, talking about how they would just love to hurt him. Sora started waving his arms in a panic and covering himself out of protection. "DON'T HURT ME! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I DIDN'T DO ANYTIHNG WRONG! STOP! LET GO OF ME! YOU WERE FUCKING TRYING TO KILL ME!" Sora screamed. Images of Kairi and Roxas holding bats and swinging them in his general direction flooded his mind. Roxas busted the door open. Kairi was absolutely terrified. "YOU WON'T KILL ME IF I KILL YOU FIRST!"Sora tried standing, but quickly lost his balance. Roxas tried to restrain him from behind. Sora struggled within his grasp but Roxas didn't give in. "I WON'T LET YOU HURT ME ANYMORE! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME... BOTH OF YOU! YOU WON'T TAKE ME FIRST!""KAIRI," Roxas yelled out to her as he struggled to keep Sora from escaping, "You're going to... have to knock him out!"

"What?!" Kairi shrieked, trembling with fear.

"He's having hallucinations! We can't... let him... GAH!" Roxas could feel his arms weakening as his cousin fought to break free. Sora started screaming and now tears were rolling down in his face. Kairi was traumatized—she could not even move. It was the most painful experience she could ever imagine. "Kai...ri... grr..." Roxas grunted and did anything he could to keep Sora from lashing out.

"I GET IT! IF YOU WANT ME DEAD, JUST LET ME DO IT! I'LL BE OUT OF YOUR LIVES FOREVER AND YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ME AGAIN!"Sora sobbed before her. Kairi was about to go insane and she just wanted everything to stop. "I bet that's it..." Sora was trying to catch his breath; his face soaked with his tears. "I'll just... I'll just be gone and you won't have to worry anymore!"

"Kairi, knock him the fuck out, NOW!"

_'He can't control himself. He doesn't know what he's saying...'_ Kairi tried to convince herself to do this; she had learned a few techniques a while back on how to knock someone out by hitting right in their pressure points, but she never actually did it before. Plus, Sora was moving so much that she doubted her ability to do so. She didn't want to miss and hurt him, but Roxas was pleading with her to do it and was slowly losing his grip.

"KAIRI, PLEASE!" Roxas begged. Finally, Sora broke out of his arms and grabbed onto the closest thing he could get his hands on—a hardcover book. He swung it at Roxas, hitting him right in the head. This caused Kairi to snap out of it and charge at him. Focusing on his neck, she quickly hit him right in the spot she needed to, surprised that she actually got him. Sora clutched his neck and fell backwards, hitting his head on the bedpost. Kairi gasped and caught him before he fell, but he was indeed, unconscious.

"Oh... god..." Kairi trembled with Sora in her arms. Roxas sat up and rubbed the back of his head where Sora struck him. "Roxas, are you alright?!" He nodded, gasping for air as he sat upright.

"That's probably the most sleep he will get for days, but," Roxas took a few more breaths. He was about to explode any moment from all of the stress piled up, but he was glad that it was at least quiet now. He walked over to Sora's desk chair and pulled it out into the middle of the floor. Kairi watched, perplexed as he left the room. A few moments later, he came back with rope as well as duct tape. "There's no telling what he will be like when he wakes up. We really should take him to the hospital, but I'm way too exhausted..."

"You want to tie him to a chair?!"

"Did you not hear him? He was threatening to kill himself and us. I don't know if you understand, but Sora really thought that we were trying to hurt him. We need to."

"Okay... I guess..." Kairi lifted Sora onto the chair. His head plopped down. Roxas started tying his hands and feet into double knots and then made sure he was secured enough so that even if he went crazy he wouldn't be able to get away. Holding the duct tape in his hand, he stepped back and hesitated for a moment; his breathing now a little more controlled but exhaustion painted all over his face. Kairi stood next to him. "Do you _really_ need the tape?"

"Probably not." Roxas set it on the desk and then fell to the floor, resting his arms on his knees and watching his cousin. Kairi sat next to him, still shaking from everything that happened. Light peered through the curtain.

"Oh gosh... Riku is probably wondering where I am..." Kairi said as she tried to remember where she left her phone. She got up and found it on Sora's bed. There weren't any missed calls or texts, which either meant he never noticed and was fast asleep or he did and was pissed off. Hoping the latter wasn't it, she decided to text him and inform him of what was going on anyway. She went back over to Roxas and sat down as she wrote her message. Roxas watched her for a moment.

"Your lip is bleeding, are you okay?"

"Huh?" Kairi didn't even notice until he said something. "Oh... yeah, I'm okay." More silence followed.

"He tried to have sex with you, didn't he?" Roxas asked finally; his eyes glued on the unconscious Sora.

"...yeah."

"I shouldn't have left him with you. I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking... or if I even was."

"How often does this happen?" Kairi felt a little bad for asking this; she didn't want to pry but at the same time she really wanted to just understand it all.

"Mania..." Roxas pondered for a moment, "the last time it happened he tried to kill himself by smashing glass objects on his head. He destroyed the majority of my mom's China collection. God, I feel _really_ stupid... of course I should have known it would lead to this..." he realized that he still had not answered her question, "He goes into full blown mania maybe twice a year, but it may be becoming more frequent now... if he wakes up and is out of control with suicidal thoughts, let's take him to the hospital. I just don't have the strength right now..."

"I can call Riku and we can take him."

"Nah, that's okay. Anyway, he probably won't sleep for a week. I may ask you to knock him out again or teach me how to for the sake of his own well being. Sleep deprivation is one of the major symptoms he's going to have. I think the most time he's ever gone without sleep was about four days on mania."

"How long do these... things last?" Kairi's ignorance on the matter made her a little uncomfortable, but Roxas didn't condemn her for it.

"Luckily for Sora, they have never lasted for more than a week to a week and a half at most. He goes through a cycle of the hyperactive state, like you saw and then it fluctuates between depression and suicidal thoughts, only to go right back to being overly energetic again. He doesn't realize what he's doing and so many thoughts accelerate through him faster than the speed of light it seems, that it ends up just being painful to watch. You may think that his over-exuberance is nice and good for him, but really, I couldn't imagine my brain being on that kind of speed with that many things going through my head all at once. I bet it's an absolutely terrible experience for him, but he's so distracted and busy that he cannot stop."

"I really had no idea... how I can know Sora for such a long time, yet _never_ know about something like this..." Kairi was still in shock. "I figured he was depressed, but I just had no idea..."

"I don't know how much you know about Sora's childhood, but because of the sexual and physical abuse by his father, as well as his mother's abandonment..." Roxas paused; he wasn't sure whether to tell Kairi or not. Him and Vanitas, along with his parents were the only ones that knew the extent of Sora's illness and he was pretty sure that Sora would be pissed if he told someone outside the family, but he really needed to talk to someone about it. He may have ranted to Namine a few times, but he never told her about the episodes Sora had or how bad it _really_ got. Since Kairi just experienced everything first hand, he felt like he had no choice but to explain. "...since his mother abandoned him and Vanitas at my house when he was nine, Sora really changed. I mean, he was already pretty messed up from the abuse, but for a while he was strangely outgoing and happy—at least during the day. At that time, I didn't know about the nightmares until my parents were forced to take him in. His mother disappearing really took its toll on him."

Kairi tried to remember back when she first met Sora as a happy-go-lucky kid. He never seemed to be the type of kid that came out of an abusive household, but she also didn't really get a chance to hang out with him much until middle school. Even though she had a crush on him since the first day she met him when they were seven years old, she still could not remember one time when he seemed depressed. Yeah, there were times when he didn't come to school for days and she would ask everyone where he was, but she was still a kid. She didn't understand.

"Sora was diagnosed with PTSD when he was eleven. He was having nightmares every time he went to sleep, so for a while he just stopped sleeping. He played video games and did anything he could to distract himself. My parents made him go to therapy twice a week and he seemed to get better on medication. When he entered middle school, I'm sure you remember the bullying and whatnot?"

Kairi nodded. Of course she did, because she was always defending him.

"Increased therapy visits, more medication. He was depressed and I was always having to keep a close eye on him. One time when he was thirteen, he got into my parent's liquor cabinet and drank half a bottle of whiskey before I caught him. He threw it up all over the floor and I was forced to clean it up. I bet you're wondering why my parents aren't up here, even though Sora was screaming?"

"Yeah, I was kind of confused..." Kairi said.

"Truthfully, they're sick of him. They've expressed many times that they just want him to leave because they can't handle his disease. It's more like they don't understand it and they don't take the time to try. They are worn out."

Kairi wanted to sympathize, but it pissed her off more than anything that Sora's own Aunt and Uncle would do that. They seemed pretty worried when he went to the hospital for drugs that first time, but was it all an act?

"I'm sure you know that Sora used to be pretty close to Vanitas. Well, Vanitas started acting out on his own too. Sora looked up to his brother and of course, wanted to do the things he did. Vanitas was doing drugs at fourteen, but I didn't really pay much attention to him because Sora would keep me so occupied. My parents and Vanitas would fight constantly and of course, Sora would side with Vanitas because he loved him so much. Vanitas started pushing him away and that's when Sora's depression really got a lot worse. But it was weird—he would go through phases of happiness and be really outgoing only to fall into a deep sorrow a few days later. I was only thirteen at the time, so of course I knew nothing about disorders and whatnot."

"You guys have been through a lot..." Kairi really didn't know what to say. Roxas sighed. Sora was still.

"My parents thought he was getting better. He started making more friends, going out more and overall, seemed happier."

"Yeah, I remember in middle school when a bully that had been messing with him for years tried to call him names or whatever. I stepped in and tried to shut him up, but all Sora did was laugh and agree with him. It was the most bizarre thing I had ever witnessed and that bully left him alone after that..."

"Yeah, it was like he was just laughing at his own problems. I was utterly confused for the longest time." Roxas said, "So I too believed that something was finally working... until he had his first episode like this."

"When was that...?" Kairi questioned.

"We were fifteen... so just two years ago. Sora went with me to school, but I heard that he left in the middle of the day on his own accord. Baffled, I didn't have any explanations for the teachers. When I got home, he had gotten into my mom's aerobic DVD collection and was following the workout routine. I tried to stop him, but he wasn't listening. Her DVDs were all over the floor, like he had been doing this for a while. The workout ended and he put in another and then bounced up and down until it started. I really had no idea where all of the sudden energy came from and like you, I didn't have a clue. Midway through the workout, he stopped to play checkers with himself, switching sides as if he was two separate people..." Roxas paused, "so I called my mom and she told me to call Sora's therapist. They suggested that I bring him in, but I told them that he wouldn't listen to me and was just doing multiple things at once without even acknowledging my presence. So the therapist actually came to the house and watched him for a while. She then explained to me that Sora was having something similar to a bipolar episode, but she didn't want to diagnose him. She ended up sticking around for a few days. His hyperness wore off and he became so depressed that he couldn't do anything but lay there and breathe. The therapist told me that with his PTSD and depression, these episodes may be more frequent than someone that would have just been bipolar. Shortly after that, I left because I just couldn't handle it anymore. My parents said he had about seven mania episodes when I was gone."

It was a lot to take in. Kairi had no idea how she missed it. She wondered if Riku knew...

How could she have been so _blind_, though? She always stood up for him when he was bullied and he seemed to be fine, which now that Roxas explained it she understood, but really... she had absolutely no idea that he was suffering _this much_. She felt like a complete idiot now. All of the time she spent crushing on him and hoping she could be with him, he was going through something so terrible. She wanted to use her ignorance on the matter as an excuse, but really, there was no excuse. She was his best friend and she should have taken more time to get to know him and be there for him instead of getting caught up in her fantasy world.

"I'll get the medicine he needs particularly for this." Roxas got up and waited at the door for Kairi, "You can come if you want."

"Okay," Kairi said as she jumped to her feet, but then her phone started ringing. Riku was calling. Roxas understood and went downstairs. Kairi went into the hallway and answered.

"Kairi, what's going on? You're at Sora's?"

"Yeah, um... Roxas is here, but I wanted to stay a little longer. I had to knock Sora out. You can come over if you want."

Riku sighed on the other line. "I was worried... okay. I'll be there soon. Are you alright, though?"

After a deep breath, Kairi said, "...yeah. I'm fine." She didn't want to tell Riku that Sora nearly raped her. Her feelings for Sora had changed dramatically with this one incident and honestly, she was afraid of him. She was afraid of what he may do in this state, especially since he had absolutely no control.

Roxas was one tough person.

o-o-o

**A/N:** It's kind of short but I think that's enough for one chapter. Next, we will be dealing more with the organization, their plans, as well as Vanitas and Riku. I didn't forget about Sora's father either. More to be explained later! I think this story will have about 30 – 35 chapters. Thanks to everyone who followed and added the story to their favorites, as well as my lovely reviewers. Please continue to **review**, even if it's something small. I always love reading your feedback.


	17. Fireflies

**A/N:** Please watch Owl City's "Fireflies" video if you haven't seen it. It reminds me of someone going through mania or even depression by blocking everything out. This is kind of how Sora is feeling when he's hyperactive; like in his mind. I don't know what the song really means, but it's all based on one's interpretation.

O-o-o

**Chapter Seventeen**  
>Fireflies<p>

o-o-o

_"It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,  
>'cause everything is never as it seems..."<em>

o-o-o

Namine rushed over to the house as soon as Roxas told her what was going on. She gave him a big hug and wouldn't let go. Everyone gathered in the living room. Riku had been holding Kairi since he got there and she felt a little better with him there, but still could not shake the distraught feelings she had over the matter. Roxas caught Namine and Riku up on everything and they all just sat there, speechless for at least five minutes. Roxas lay his head on Namine's lap and closed his eyes.

Riku took it upon himself to start a conversation. He had been suspicious of Sora's elevated moods in the past, but now that he knew what was going on he had way more questions than answers. "Aren't we going to take him to the hospital?"

Roxas shook his head. He didn't have the strength to speak.

"I guess we have to wait and see what he does when he wakes up." Kairi said, her tone low and upsetting. She leaned against Riku's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry that all of this is happening..." Namine stroked Roxas' hair. He was ready to pass out.

Riku felt terrible for his best friend, but he was also trying to think of ways to help him. "Has he been to any sort of behavioral therapy?"

"Mhm..." Roxas mumbled, half asleep. Riku realized how exhausted he was and shut up. Kairi was also pretty worn out. He held her in his arms and kissed her forehead. Eventually, the two fell asleep and Namine and Riku went into the kitchen. Rinoa and Leon had already left for work, so the house was quiet.

"I'm really worried about Roxas..." Namine began. "I've been trying to convince him to get some help of his own, but he tells me that as long as he has me to talk to, he doesn't need to go off and tell some stranger about his problems..."

"It really takes its toll on him, doesn't it?" Riku looked towards the living room. Roxas was sound asleep.

"Yeah, he says that having me is just fine for coping, but I think deep down he's really struggling with everything. I don't know how to help him..."

"Well, if he says that you're already doing that, just keep being there for him. You're probably the only one he feels like he can trust with it." Riku told her.

"I can tell that Sora really looks up to you, Riku."

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know. It's just a feeling. But he is also really afraid of losing you and Kairi."

"He won't lose us."

"He thinks so. I think one of his biggest fears is being alone." Namine sighed. "Even if you guys are around him, he will never feel truly loved until he gets better..."

"Damn it... I feel like such a jerk..." Riku leaned against the counter. "All of this time I thought that he and Kairi would get together, but after scratching the surface and now _this_, I just feel... really selfish..."

"It's not your fault. None of us really knew except for Roxas."

'Still, I should have done more. Yeah, I noticed a lot when we were growing up and always told him I would be there for him, but I realize now that that isn't good enough. I've failed as a best friend..."

"Well, now that you know you can do better, can't you? All it takes is a bit of research... but that's nothing compared to helping Sora feel better in the long run. Right?" Namine smiled softly. "I'm positive that he can with the right medication and support. All he needs is us to help him through it."

"You're surprisingly very nice, considering what I heard about you." Riku said.

"What did you hear?" Namine merely laughed. "You know how high school is. People can't wait to gossip."

"Heh..." Riku felt a little better, but he knew that it wouldn't last long. Tomorrow he would have to return to school and life. Rumors would probably spread. He honestly didn't know how he could help Sora, but he sure was going to try harder from now on.

He wasn't going to let his best friend down anymore.

o-o-o

Vanitas had run out of enough money to pay for one more night in the hotel. The owner came and kicked him out of the room. He was going to leave quietly, but he was too drunk. He ended up punching the owner in the face, then made a run for it. His head was spinning as he tried to see in front of him; he didn't even realize that he left everything he owned except for his phone in the room. It was in his pocket, about to die. He ran into the woods and before he knew it, he was leaning against a tree, ready to pass out.

He was virtually homeless at this point. He knew he couldn't go back to his aunt's house. That would probably be the first place his father would go if he was looking for them.

"Sora... I have to tell him. I can't do this anymore..." hopeless, Vanitas pulled out his phone. His hand shook wildly as he struggled to search for Sora's name, then it died on him due to low battery. Pissed, Vanitas threw it, hearing a crack as it hit another tree. He wanted to rip his hair out as the nightmares flooded his mind and began to take over. "Fuck..."

O-o-o

Saix sat in a very _posh_ manner; he loved being treated like the temporary king he was. The gang had taken over a log cabin residence on the side of the mountains. Two people, a middle-aged couple were killed in the process, but of course he didn't care. "How nice of them to give up this lovely house to us." Saix reminisced.

Marluxia brought him a few snacks and lay them out for him on the table. "Sir, this letter came from the leader." Marluxia pulled a small envelope out of his pocket. Saix straightened up and took it from him. After reading it a few times, he turned to Marluxia.

"Tell Ventus to come here."

Ventus had just finished burying the couple when Marluxia summoned him (the dirtiest tasks always went to the newbies, so he wasn't surprised, just felt a little sick). The wooden steps creaked as he made it up the stairs and knocked on the bedroom door where Saix was lounging. Saix told him to come in and he did so. He gave him a foul look.

"Oh my, you've got some blood on you. I'll be sure to get a change of clothes for you. Sit."

"Nah, it's okay." Ventus said as he sat in a chair on the side of the room.

"What happened to those two lackies you hired?"

"A slightly unexpected turn of events, but they will be fine, sir. They still would like to participate."

"Turn of events?" Saix questioned.

"Yes. It turns out that Sora's friends know how to fight. That girl that was at the house and one of his other friends saved him, but they were able to beat him before that. However, I'm a little worried that these two may delay the process."

"Interesting. Well, an order just came in from our leader. He's not happy about us helping Mr. Yamada escape and then him getting away from us. I have already carried out the punishments."

Ventus didn't really know what Saix had planned, he only knew that he was working on making Sora a new recruit. He figured it was time to tell him about Sora's bipolar disorder. This only intrigued Saix more.

"Do you want to know why I _really_ want this kid to be a part of us?" Saix cooed.

"Only if you will tell me, sir."

"This is not to leave this room." Saix glared at Ventus, who accepted. "It turns out that Sora and his brother are actually _his_ biological children. I guess Mr. Yamada found that out and went to kill his wife. Too bad, so sad... and our leader has always had a personal vendetta against him for reasons I do not wish to disclose, but some are pretty obvious."

Ventus was shocked, but at the same time he didn't really understand. He knew better than to question it, though and just wrote it off as none of his business.

"I would have Vanitas join us too, but the leader is more interested in Sora." Saix said. "So we will carry out his wishes until we can break him out of there."

Ventus really didn't get why they would help Mr. Yamada escape and not their own leader, but maybe he ordered for them to do so. Again, there was nothing he could do about it so he just kept his mouth shut and went off to do what he needed to do.

O-o-o

A few hours later, Sora woke up. Riku had been staying in the room with him while Roxas and Kairi slept downstairs. Riku went to inform everyone and then came back into the room with the others.

_'Emptiness... if only I could just... stop... having feelings...'_

'It hurts, but why do I want to smile? I'm the worst person. I shouldn't be alive, but yet I just feel so good. I'm sick. I have too many problems. I don't want to burden anyone, but I'm so happy that they're around. I don't want to die... I don't want to. I just want to stay here, think of you and it will all...'

_'It will all just turn into something bad. I know it. I hate myself. I fucking hate myself. I hate my life and everyone in it. I wish they would just go away. Man, if I could make them go away... then... then I would be free. Right? I wouldn't have to suffer anymore...'_ Sora sniffled; his face scrunched up as he started to cry, _'Why am I going through all of this? Why can't I just be normal?! God, I'm such an idiot! The pain never goes away... it __never__ leaves me alone! Why can't I just be left alone to die?! Nobody wants me here, right? God, what do YOU want from me?! What did I ever do wrong?! Do you even exist? I don't think you do. I think you were made up out of a desperate attempt for someone to gain power. It's really quite genius might I add—making people believe in such a thing and making them think that you are the embodiment of that deity. No... I don't want to think anymore. I don't want to breathe anymore. Don't think, don't breathe. Simple? Not so simple. Not simple at all...'_ a grin formed on his face, _'this is actually better than I've felt in a while. God, my head hurts but why do the words keep coming? Why can't they just give me a break for once? No, they never will...'_

Roxas, Kairi, Riku and Namine watched in horror as Sora's facial expressions changed from maniacal smiles back to sadness again—all in the course of twenty minutes. He was slumped to the side in the chair; the rope holding him tightly in place. Roxas had given him his medicine before falling asleep downstairs, so he hoped that it helped stabilize his mood, even for just a little bit, although none of them had any idea exactly how _stable_ Sora was. Sora's eyes scanned around the room as his thoughts intensified and refused to leave him alone. He spotted them, but he just kept looking everywhere. He could feel the energy rising in him once again.

_'I really want to change the world. I want to be a better person. I want to help people and make them happy. Would that make me happy? No, it won't. It won't make me happy and I won't be a better person. But you know what will? Fireflies. Fireflies are the epitome of light. I want to see them... I...'_

Sora started struggling in the chair as his thoughts took over. "Fireflies! TAKE ME TO THE FIREFLIES!" He yelled, alarming the rest of them. The rope was binding and Sora just wanted to be set free. He would only be free if he saw the fireflies. "'Cause they feel the open air," Sora started to sing, "I'd like to make myself believe... that planet earth turns slowly..." he began laughing maniacally.

"Shit..." Roxas scrambled to come up with something. Sora knocked the chair over and was laying sideways on the floor as he continued to sing. Kairi went over to pick up the chair, but Roxas stopped her. "I can't do this. We're going to have to take him to the hospital and get him shock treatment... or whatever it's called..."

"WHY CAN'T I JUST DIE?!" Sora screamed suddenly, followed by uncontrollable sobs that just broke their hearts. Kairi looked to Roxas, who was trying to come up with some way to do this. It was nerve-wracking and since the medication wasn't working fast enough, he was growing impatient.

"Someone help me carry him down," Riku said, lifting the side of the chair and then starting to untie the chair. Roxas gave him a crazy look, but Riku was pretty confident in what he was doing. Sora's screams rang through their eardrums, but they all tried to ignore it and hurry up so they could get him some help. Before Sora could run off, Riku tightened the rope around his body so that he couldn't move. He only continued to throw a fit. Roxas helped Riku carry Sora down the stairs; Kairi was too frightened and upset to do so. It was tearing her apart to see Sora this way and she could no longer hold back her tears.

Riku and Roxas put Sora in the back seat of Roxas' car, fastening the seat beat tightly around him. Kairi and Namine stood at the door. She couldn't go any further. It hurt too much. Riku gave his girlfriend an anxious look.

"Guys, I'll stay here with Kairi, okay?" Namine called out to them. The guys didn't waste anymore time and left.

O-o-o

o-o-o

**A/N:** There's chapter 17. More developments to come. Please **review**!


	18. Sunset Horizons

**A/N:** My boyfriend and I spent 11 hours watching KH stuff yesterday. I think I found the one xD

On with the chapter~!

O-o-o

**Chapter Eighteen**  
>Sunset Horizons<p>

o-o-o

Cocaine was found in Sora's pocket when the nurses changed him into a gown. Roxas didn't have any answers for them about that, but Sora needed help—and fast. Roxas had to answer a million questions about Sora's medical history, psychiatric treatments, medications and everything in between. He informed them that he had administered Sora's medicine just a few hours earlier, but it wasn't working. Although the doctors were reluctant to come to a decision, they did. Sora had been threatening to kill himself since he was thrown into Roxas' back seat and he wasn't getting any better. His voice was hoarse and it was traumatizing for both Roxas and Riku.

The doctors decided to give Sora electroconvulsive therapy. The nurse explained everything to them. "ECT only takes about five to ten minutes. It sends shock waves to the brain, causing a small seizure that only lasts about forty seconds. Although temporary, it is one of our most effective treatments for severe mania and depression. He may have some short-term memory loss afterward, but he will recover. Depending on results, we may have to keep him here for at least a week and administer a few more ECT treatments until he's fully stable." The nurse made Roxas sign a few things and left. After much fighting and screaming, Sora was finally given an IV, put under anesthesia and quickly taken back to the operating room. He and Riku stayed in the waiting area. Riku made sure to keep Kairi updated on what was happening.

"He must not have been taking his medicine regularly, which doesn't surprise me. I can't tell you how many ineffective medications he has been on... I guess this is our last resort... and what the hell is up with the drugs...?!" Roxas complained. Riku remained quiet; he honestly didn't know what to do or say at this point. He just prayed that Sora would get better from this. As he was writing a message to Kairi, he heard Roxas sobbing next to him.

He completely broke down.

Everyone was looking at him; some gave sympathetic looks and others were really confused. Riku let him cry—he had obviously been strong for too long. Letting out a huge sigh, Riku almost felt like crying himself. Much to his surprise, Roxas got up and headed for the doors. Riku followed behind him, just watching closely as he stumbled upon his own thoughts. Roxas walked all over the outside of the hospital at quickened pace; Riku figured that it helped him feel better. Sometimes he had to stop him from walking right out in the middle of the street.

They returned to the waiting room about thirty minutes later. A receptionist informed them that the nurse had come looking for them when they were gone, probably just to update them that the procedure was complete and that Sora was in the recovery room. Roxas and Riku sat and waited while the receptionist called the nurse to tell her that they were back. Roxas was silent for the rest of the time there; filled with nothing but despair. When nurses talked to him, he simply nodded. They told them that they didn't find any drugs in Sora's system, thankfully, but Roxas didn't really care. Sora was put in a room on the third floor of the hospital and admitted at least for the night. Riku forced Roxas to go home for his own sanity without even waiting for Sora to wake up. He didn't believe that Roxas could handle it and stayed behind.

Not long after, Sora's eyes opened and he was immediately in a state of confusion.

"Why am I here...?" he mumbled as his eyes moved across the room. His muscles hurt a little and he had a headache.

"Hey, buddy." Riku said as he stood over the bed.

"Riku, what happened? What am I doing in the hospital...?"

"It's a temporary side effect of the ETC procedure. You were having severe mania beforehand."

"Mania...?" Sora noticed the IV on his hand and sighed. "I hate hospitals..."

"Seems like you come here quite often. What's the last thing you remember at the moment?"

I... I don't know... I think... I had just started dating Namine...?

"That far back...?" Riku looked a bit worried. "...I'm going to let the nurse know that you're awake." Riku said and headed out the door. Sora lay there in silence. Riku came back and sat down as the nurse got Sora's vitals and asked him a few questions about how he was feeling. She took Riku aside to explain the obvious and that he would have to stay for at least another day or two to make sure the depressive symptoms didn't return. He was a danger to himself and Riku felt like they made the right decision with the shock treatment.

It may have saved Sora's life.

O-o-o

A few weeks passed and Sora slowly regained bits and pieces of his memory. He didn't really remember what happened after he woke up from ECT either, but he wasn't having any episodes or symptoms and Roxas wondered why they never went with this sort of treatment in the first place; it was clearly the most effective one to date despite the memories Sora lost. (it wasn't the best month anyway). Although Sora was also having trouble focusing in school, for the most part, he seemed to be doing a little better. He was reminded time and time again that Namine was not his fake girlfriend and that Kairi and Riku were very happy together, but strangely, that didn't really bother him. Roxas made sure that Sora took his newly prescribed medications every single day to avoid a relapse as long as possible.

It was nice having Sora back in class and back to his cheerful self. Kairi enjoyed passing notes with him again and drawing little things on the paper like old times. Sora asked her many times to help him study, since he wasn't retaining the information well in class. Kairi agreed to do so and after informing Riku, she would go over to Sora's house about twice a week to help him catch up on assignments. Today was one of those days and she was looking forward to it. Unless Sora experienced mania again, she didn't think he was going to be difficult to be around. After school they went right over to his house while Riku stayed for soccer practice. Kairi could see that her house was being rebuilt and her parents had been keeping in contact, but only about grades.

"Man, sometimes I miss playing soccer. I don't even remember quitting." Sora said, throwing his bag onto the table as they entered the kitchen. He slid open the glass door to the backyard, leaving the screen door closed so he could feel the nice breeze coming through. He was so peaceful, Kairi thought and actually seemed happier. It was like the events of the month before had completely vanished and she was eager for a fresh start. Sometimes Sora would randomly recall things that actually happened, but depending on what they were, Kairi was told to just tell him that he was dreaming or it never really happened (such as the organization). Roxas wanted Sora to be blissfully unaware of that part for his own sake.

"We could go outside and pass the ball, if you'd like." Kairi suggested. Sora seemed delighted at the idea and hurried outside like an excited child. Kairi laughed and followed him. She didn't mind taking some time out of studying for this. Sora kicked the ball in her direction and she stopped it from hitting the screen door. "Hold on, let me get over by the fence." Kairi laughed as she kicked the ball back at him and ran to the other side of the yard. They kicked the soccer back and forth for about ten minutes before Sora got bored and wanted to eat.

"That was a lot of fun." Sora said as they entered back into the kitchen. Turning on a light, he then went over to the fridge and searched for something interesting.

"We need to start studying soon."

"Aww, do we _have_ to?"

"_Yes_," Kairi answered with emphasis. "You have a lot to catch up on."

"But why? Did I miss school a lot?" Sora asked as he pulled some lunch meat out of the fridge.

"Well, yeah. You weren't feeling well." Kairi responded.

"It must have sucked, then. Oh well." Sora began munching on some roast beef by itself. "Let's go to my room."

"Alright." Kairi grabbed his bag for him and followed him upstairs. His room was impeccably clean—there wasn't even a speck of dust that she could see. Sora's bed was neatly made and any traces of his episode a few weeks before were gone. Sora stretched out on his bed and looked over at Kairi and smiled.

"It sucks that you're with Riku now."

Kairi paused and looked over at him. "Oh...?" was all she could say as she went back to pulling out their history book and some other materials.

"Yeah. I really wanted to date you. That's why I went out with Namine... because I liked you."

"Are you serious?" Kairi didn't know if he was joking or not or what that even meant. He was so casual about it and it kind of freaked her out. She set the book on his bed and tried to change the subject. "Page 132... turn to it and read until 134."

"Alright," Sora did so without protest. She watched as his eyes moved from one word to the next. Several times he stopped and looked elsewhere, but went right back to reading shortly after. Kairi waited for him to finish so that she could help him answer the questions on that page for their homework. After about ten minutes, he finally stopped and waited for her next instruction. "I like studying with you here way better than any stupid classroom."

"...me too," Kairi forced herself to agree.

"Kairi?"

"Yeah...?" she asked, keeping her eyes glued to the questions. It took Sora little while to respond.

"...what do you remember?"

"Um... just that you got sick."

"With what, though?"

"I don't know many details. I... was in school."

"Oh... okay." Sora began writing his answers on a sheet of paper. "After this, want to go to the beach?" he asked, not stopping from what he was doing. "Riku can come too."

"Sure. What did you get for number two?"

"I skipped that one."

Kairi leaned over the bed and tried to see what he was writing. Sora reached for her, but she dodged before he could grab her. Astounded, Kairi asked, "what are you doing?"

"Aww, I just wanted to tickle you."

"No way." Kairi moved away from him, but Sora didn't give up. He got up and came towards her. Kairi felt like laughing; he really did seem to be doing better. She avoided his movements as he chased her around the room and into the hallway. Kairi laughed as she ran into the bathroom and shut the door. "Can't get me now!"

"Wanna bet?" Sora called from the other side. After that, it was quiet. Kairi waited for about thirty seconds, but nothing happened. A little worried, she debated on opening the door, but it may have just been a trick.

"Sora?" Kairi opened the door slightly and called his name once more. He didn't answer. _''What the...'_ Kairi ran out into the hallway. She checked Sora's room. He wasn't there. "Sora, where did you go? Answer me!" Her panic rose as the daunting silence filled the air. Kairi rushed downstairs. He wasn't in the kitchen, the backyard, his aunt and uncle's room... he wasn't anywhere. "Sora, if you're hiding, it's not funny! Come out now!"

But he didn't.

o-o-o

Roxas and Namine were having their first date night in weeks. They rented a Karaoke room and sang their hearts out for what seemed like hours.

"_Let it go!'_ Roxas sang into the microphone; Namine giggling in the background.

"You have a nice voice... when you try." Namine told him, standing up to take the mic. "Let's sing a duet."

"Thanks a lot for this, Nami." Roxas kissed her cheek, making her blush. After a few moments, he took the mic out of her hand and tangled his fingers with hers. Namine stood there, mesmerized as she waited for Roxas to say something. "I don't know what I would do without you. I love you a lot."

"Aww, I love you too... I'm just glad to help."

Roxas smiled warmly, "You do way more for me than you think you do. Thanks." The couple sat down on the booth. "Let's take a little break. I think that last song really strained my voice." Roxas wrapped his arms around her.

"Well, it's not the easiest song to sing... and the irony of it was way too obvious." Namine joked, nuzzling her head underneath his chin.

"Right? I really do need to just _let go _sometimes."

Namine looked up at him with a twinkle in her eyes. Roxas got the message and started kissing her. Just before they were able to get too into it, the waitress knocked on the door. Flustered, the couple parted and Roxas went to the door. She had brought them some water, so Roxas took it and set it on the table and then sat back down to cuddle with Namine. Just before he was able to lean in and kiss her again, his cell phone went off. It was Kairi.

"Answer it." Namine urged him.

"Hello?"

"Roxas!" Kairi was frantic. "I... I can't find Sora!"

"You can't...? What do you mean?" Roxas sat up.

"We were studying, then started playing around. I hid in the bathroom and... when I came out he was just... gone!"

"He can't be. You checked everywhere?"

"Yes!" Kairi shrieked. "I'm really freaking out right now!"

Sighing, Roxas said, "Okay, we'll be there soon..." he exchanged anxious looks with Namine and the couple hurried back to the house.

O-o-o

"Very _good_, Ventus..."

"You are most welcome." Ventus bowed deeply to Saix before leaving the room. Before him, Sora and Vanitas were unconscious and tied up. Sora's head was resting on his brother's shoulder. Marluxia and Saix stared at them for a while.

"Their resemblance is striking, isn't it?" Saix said. Marluxia nodded in agreement. "They could pass for twins." Saix walked over to them and knelt down, examining their features. "What's the update on Mr. Yamada?" he asked as he stroked Sora's face.

"Zexion and Vexen were able to detain him downstairs."

"And the leader?"

"On his way. I think a reunion is in order." Marluxia smirked.

"A reunion, _indeed_..." Saix stood up and headed for the door. "Go ahead and put Mr. Yamada up here. _His_ orders."

"Yes sir."

o-o-o

**A/N:** Memory loss is common with ECT and I didn't make him 'forget' everything just for the convenience of it. Please leave your feedback!


	19. Stained

**Final Call**

**Chapter Nineteen**  
><strong>Stained<strong>

o-o-o

Saix went across the hall from the room that Sora, Vanitas and Mr. Yamada were in. Lexaeus and Xaldin had filled the room with a bunch of assorted weapons at his request. Going through them carefully, Saix pondered on what the best, yet most simple ones to use would be. He gathered a bunch of knives, varying in size, a crow bar and a hammer and carried them over to the next room. The captives were still passed out. He set the weapons out near the middle wall and smirked.

Locking the door on his way out, Saix got word that the leader had finally arrived. "Larxene, go help him with anything he needs." Saix demanded as he entered the kitchen. A few minutes later, the leader entered the room.

"Saix,"

"Master Xemnas." Saix grinned at him.

"Where are my sons?"

"Upstairs. Would you like to see them?"

"...indeed..."

o-o-o

Riku comforted Kairi in the living room as Roxas and Namine desperately tried to figure out a solution. Sora would not just go off on his own, unless he had another episode, but Kairi assured them that wasn't the case. They had nothing to go on as to where he might be.

"I feel so useless..." Kairi said, "I'm sorry..."

"It's not your fault. Either Sora is playing some sick prank on us or..." Roxas couldn't bring himself to say it. "Actually, I wonder where he got that cocaine from that they found at the hospital?"

"Didn't he meet with the organization at some point?" Namine shuddered.

"Yeah..." Roxas got out his phone and called Vanitas, "...if anyone knows how to contact them," Roxas paused when the call went straight to voicemail, "...it would have been Vanitas..." He put his phone away in disappointment.

"Can't we go to the police?" Namine asked.

"No... they won't do anything." Roxas sighed.

"You girls stay here. Roxas and I will go and look for him. Do not open the door for anyone unless it's Sora himself and you are absolutely sure that he is alone." Riku kissed Kairi's forehead. Namine and Roxas hugged each other tightly.

"Be safe..." Kairi said worriedly.

o-o-o

Vanitas' eyes flickered open. He had an overwhelming pain throbbing on the side of his head and his first notion was that he had a hangover and just woke up somewhere random because of it. Although, he wasn't sure how Sora got here nor why he was leaning his head on his shoulder. Moonlight emitted from the window, paving way for more inspection on his part. He noted the weapons laid out in the corner. The smell of rusted wood engulfed him as he tried to make sense of everything.

_'Let's see... the last thing I remember... I was trolling around the outside of the mall...'_ Everything after that was a blur to the raven-haired teen. Once he was able to adjust his vision from its weary state, he tried shaking Sora to wake him up, but his brother didn't move. There were ropes at his feet and he was starting to realize that they may not have been here on their own accord.

Vanitas heard a cough coming from the other side of the room. Squinting, his eyes traveled to the source and stopped upon the bald man. He didn't recognize him; it was too dark. Vanitas gently set Sora back against the wall and got to his feet.

"Hey, who are you?" he asked, inching closer to the man. "Do you know where we are?" Vanitas had an uneasy feeling about him; the familiarity seemed to take hold of him.

"Is that how you speak to your own father after such a long time?" Vanitas' mouth went dry upon hearing that and fear rose as the man stared up at him with a flicker in his eye. "It's me. _Daddy_."

Right after, Sora began mumbling and moving around a little behind him. In sheer panic, Vanitas rushed over to the set of weapons on the floor and picked up the crowbar. He was ready to protect himself as well as Sora this time. Mr. Yamada simply scowled and sat upright. His hands and feet were tied together and he wasn't going anywhere.

"How... how are you here?!" Vanitas asked in a terrified voice, "What have you done?!" all rational thought aside, Vanitas was shaking. He squeezed the crowbar in his hand tightly, not taking his eyes away from him. "Make one movement and I'll... I'll kill you!" Vanitas threatened. He then realized that Mr. Yamada indeed was tied up and became a little less tense, but the fear was still as apparent as ever. Sora stirred in his sleep until finally, he awakened with the same amount of confusion Vanitas withheld.

"Van...? Where are we?" he asked, repeating the same actions Vanitas had earlier. His eyes landed on Mr. Yamada and like Vanitas, he didn't know who that was at first. He came over to Vanitas; his head pounding from some unknown cause. "Why are you holding that? What is all this?" Sora questioned.

"Sora, Vanitas... my _boys_. So nice to see you." Mr. Yamada stated graciously; a lopsided grin forming as he looked up at them.

Sora started freaking out.

"What the hell is going on?! Why is he... why is he here?! No, no, no... no!" Sora clashed his hands over his ears and fell to the ground. He started screaming some more; uncontrollable sobs erupting as he was immediately taken back to that time. Vanitas was paralyzed in the midst of it all, but he knew the only way he could put Sora at ease, as well as make himself feel better was to take the opportunity in front of him. It was like a twisted blessing—their father was tied down and vulnerable and there were weapons readily available. Amongst Sora's heartbreaking distress, he could only think of one thing.

He could finally protect him.

Vanitas went over to Mr. Yamada and lifted the crowbar behind his head; ready to strike at any moment. He hesitated, however. Mr. Yamada panicked and buried his head in between his elbows. "Don't you want to know what we're all doing here, son?"

"We are not your sons... we HATE you!" Vanitas' rage was building with each breath. Sora could not contain his terror. Suddenly, the door flung open and in walked Xemnas and Saix. They flipped on the light switch. Vanitas dropped the crowbar and took a few steps back towards his brother, cradling him in his arms as she shook violently.

"Vanitas, Sora, welcome to your temporary home." Xemnas said, scanning the room. "I never thought I would see the day that we would meet again, but these circumstances are quite convenient."

"W-Who... are you...?" Vanitas asked. Sora was too much in shock.

"Since I'm a pretty fair person, I'll tell you... but..." he glanced down at Mr. Yamada then signaled for Saix to untie him, "only if you kill him first."

Vanitas watched, dreadful as Saix untied Mr. Yamada's feet. This only made Sora panic more. As soon as his hands and legs were free, he tried lashing out at Xemnas, but Saix was able to counter him and flip him onto his back. He broke one of his arms and stomped on his head. Vanitas closed his eyes and covered Sora's. Mr. Yamada cried out in pain as he was left on the floor.

"Well then, get to it." Xemnas said. He and Saix took their leave. Vanitas was still trying to comprehend the situation, but he figured it was going to either be him and his brother or their fucked up father. Mr. Yamada tried crawling over to the weapon stash and Vanitas knew he had to act fast.

"Sora, go over there and don't move! Now!" Vanitas raced towards the collection and grabbed the hammer; his crowbar was too close to Mr. Yamada. He also grabbed the biggest knife—a butcher knife that looked like it had been used recently.

"How dare you two get me thrown in jail... all daddy has ever done is love you!"

"You are seriously deranged! Don't come any closer!" Vanitas yelled. Sora covered his ears and shut his eyes tightly in the corner of the room. Vanitas was glad that Saix weakened him a little, but he was having serious moral issues with stabbing someone—even if it was his own molester and father. As Mr. Yamada got closer, Vanitas became more fearful for his own life, but for Sora's as well. Mr. Yamada grabbed the second largest knife and struggled to stand.

"You really think daddy liked hurting you? If you two behaved better than maybe I would not have been so hard on you!" he got closer to Vanitas, but Vanitas only stepped back more. Then, all of a sudden Mr. Yamada pulled himself up and charged at Vanitas, who swiftly dodged his attack. Sora screamed again, prompting Mr. Yamada to focus his attention on him. He ran at Sora, but Vanitas quickly jumped onto his back, causing him to fall to the ground. Sora scrambled to move out of the way, watching in pure terror as Mr. Yamada and Vanitas struggled in a fist fight on the floor. He heard Vanitas cry out in pain as Mr. Yamada punched his jaw several times, then cuffed his hand around his neck. "You stupid boy... I learned a lot in prison... don't think you can win this!"

"Ack...!" Vanitas kicked and tried removing his father's hands, but he was too strong. He was punched in the face again; his father's grip tightening around his neck. Sora could not just sit around and watch anymore. He shakily grabbed a knife from the floor.

_'I have... to stop him... I can't... let him control us... again...'_ Sora saw Mr. Yamada now holding a knife to his brother's neck. Vanitas had both of his hands clutched around his wrist, trying to hold him off.

Images of the torment appeared in Sora's mind. All of the times he was beaten... touched... abused... like a movie playing in a slow and painful sequence. Just seeing this monster again brought back every fear he ever had. Vanitas' cries were drowned out by Sora's own nightmares—the aching pain in his heart filled his body with rage. He could no longer hold it in.

Then, his mind went blank.

Without any more hesitation, Sora charged at him dug the knife right into Mr. Yamada's back. Blood splattered onto his face and shirt as Mr. Yamada screamed. Vanitas was able to break free. Sora pulled the knife out and then stabbed him over and over again, yelling as he did so in an uncontrollable fit. "DIE! GO TO FUCKING HELL WHERE YOU FUCKING BELONG!"

"Sora, what are you doing?! STOP!" Vanitas demanded, terrified at the sight.

Sora was not quite _there_.

Once Vanitas was able to pull him away, he restrained Sora in his arms and didn't let go. He took the knife from him and threw it across the room. Trying to get over the initial shock that his brother just murdered him, Vanitas could hardly comprehend it, let alone breathe. Mr. Yamada lay on the floor in a pool of blood. Sora was covered in it, but he was too consumed by his hatred. Enraged, Sora tried to break away from Vanitas' grip. He didn't want to stop until he was sure Mr. Yamada was dead. He squirmed on the floor; blood spewing from his mouth as he struggled to move closer to them, but finally, all of his breathing stopped and he lay there—dead.

"DIE! JUST DIE!" Sora cried, shaking violently.

"S-Sora... you... actually..." Vanitas was so terrified he couldn't think straight. Tears streamed down Sora's face, but after a few moments, his cries turned to merely sniffles.

"...he... deserved it..." he said in a numb manner.

"I know... but..." Vanitas could not get over the rage he had witnessed. He never thought Sora had it in him...

Xemnas and Saix entered the room once again. "What a mess..." Xemnas spoke, stepping around the blood. "Great job. I didn't feel like doing it myself and I felt that if you two did, it would be more personal... and fun."

"Who are you and what do you want with us?!" Vanitas yelled, holding tighter onto Sora. Sora didn't take his eyes off of the lifeless body.

Xemnas ignored his question and walked back over to the door. Saix followed closely behind. "Get them some mops and wash rags. They can bury him outside somewhere." Saix left the room.

"Hey!" Vanitas yelled. "What are you talking about?!"

Xemnas glared at him, but then smiled. "Get this cleaned up. If you two even think if trying to escape, we will not hesitate to kill you in the slowest and most torturous way possible." A few moments later, Saix came back with a few mops. Xemnas went downstairs. Saix set the mops down, then left again to bring them a bucket of water. Vanitas was speechless.

_'Are they really telling us to clean this right now?!'_

Saix set the bucket down, as well as a few towels. "You may want to move the body first. Pick him up."

"Are you mad?!" Vanitas yelled. Sora trembled.

"I'm _not_ going to tell you again."

"Let's... do what they say..." Sora said, breaking away from his brother. His shoes drenched in blood as he walked to Mr. Yamada's feet.

"Sora!"

"Come on..." Sora was numb and that was disturbing. He reached down and clutched both feet.

"I'm not going to do this!" Vanitas yelled, but was immediately socked in the face by Saix. Saix then lifted him and pushed him up against the wall, holding his elbow to his neck. Vanitas choked at the impact; his entire body shaking as Saix held him in the air.

"The leader will do way worse to you if you don't hurry up and comply. Now get over there and help him carry that disgusting body out of here!" Saix threw him down onto the wooden floor; Vanitas gasped for air as he struggled to get up. He lifted his head and saw the face of his father—covered in blood. He felt like vomiting, but he held it in with all his might.

"Let's... turn him... over and... carry him that way..." Vanitas told Sora. His hands hesitantly pushed on Mr. Yamada's shoulder. With Sora's help, they turned him onto his back. He was covered in blood. Sora stared at the lifeless body—he couldn't believe that he had done this. Vanitas had never been more disturbed and frightened in his life, but somehow, with Saix looming over him, he gathered his courage.

_'I did it to protect Vanitas... he was going to hurt him... and then me...'_

"On three..." Vanitas tucked his arms underneath Mr. Yamada's and waited for Sora to get ready. Once he was, they lifted up the dead body. Sora didn't really have much arm strength (or strength in general), so they kind of fell short at his end. Vanitas started stepping backwards towards the door. They came to the stairs. With pressure from Saix, Vanitas tried thinking of a way to do this without falling and breaking his neck. Marluxia and Vexen stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for them to come down.

After carefully making it down the stairs, Marluxia led them over to the woods behind the house. Ventus was there with two shovels in his hands. Vanitas and Sora dropped the body onto the ground and nearly gagged. Ventus forced them to take the shovels.

"Dig." Saix commanded. Sora and Vanitas exchanged pitiful glances and then went over to the spot Ventus pointed to. As Sora placed the shovel into the dirt, images of what just happened flashed through his mind so fast that it was simply all a blur. As the hole got deeper, all Sora could do was follow orders. He didn't know how to feel or what to think otherwise. His defense mechanism was ignoring the obvious and just distracting himself with the task at hand. It was the only thing stopping him from curling up into a ball and crying. Vanitas was trying to figure out a way out of this, but the trauma of witnessing a murder by his own brother—their father or not, was all too frightening.

"We don't have all day." Marluxia stated impatiently. A few minutes later, Sora and Vanitas were done digging. They lifted Mr. Yamada into the hole and started covering his body back up with the dirt—both silent. Their shocked states made them obedient.

Sora wished he could bury his nightmares with the devil himself.

"Good enough! The leader is waiting!" Marluxia and Vexen grabbed them and pulled them into the house.

O-o-o

Sora and Vanitas were brought back into the living room. The entire organization, including Ventus surrounded them. Sora was given a towel, since he was stained with blood. Xemnas sat on the couch across from them, just smiling like a mad man. The teens remained silent, lost in their own traumatic thoughts.

"Well, well... Sora. I didn't think you would be the one to do it."

"...why..." Sora mumbled beneath his breath, "...why did you..."

"I had to get rid of him somehow." Xemnas stated casually. "But look on the bright side, Sora. You're officially a member now."

"What?!" Vanitas yelled, but Saix yanked his head back by his hair and gave him a threatening glare. Sora's jaw dropped. Xemnas stood up and paced around the room methodically.

"Your first kill is always the most shocking, but it gets easier after this."

"I... didn't have a choice! I'm not... a murderer..." Sora trailed off as it finally sank in.

"According to every police officer, you _are_. What a terrible way to start out, but yet it was the best way. Not even Ventus has killed anyone yet."

"Ventus..." Sora's eyes fell onto the blonde, but Xemnas didn't give him much time to think.

"Sora, you either join us, or more people die. And this time, they won't be ones that you have already wished death upon."

"I... but... why?!" Sora protested. Tears filled his eyes as he felt another panic attack coming on.

"Demyx, take Vanitas out of here. He's going to need some special training." Xemnas commanded, in which his orders were immediately carried out. Saix and Demyx grabbed Vanitas and dragged him out of the room.

"Sora, maybe it's time you find out where you _really_ belong..." Xemnas grinned evilly.

o-o-o  
>o-o-o<p>

**A/N:** That was a hard chapter to write. Sorry for the delay! The climax is upon us. What do you think will happen now? How will this affect Kairi, Riku and Roxas? What exactly does Xemnas have in store for Vanitas and Sora, his biological sons? **Review** and find out soon!

Also, please go like the Facebook page in my profile. xo skyla, Princess-Xion, SorasGirl333, J1210 and I have started a KH Fanfiction and Fanart page where we give writing tips, fanart turorials and much more! (This page is much different from the KH Fanfiction page I'm already an admin for – instead of posting pointless memes we actually want to help you with your writing!) Check it out!


	20. What Lies Beneath

**A/N:** I have warned you all many times before that this story has extremely sensitive subjects, but they are not for reactions. They're carefully woven together, leading to a much bigger picture. Things will make more sense as the story progresses, so if you're still here, hang in there. Thanks to all of my readers, reviewers and those that added this story to their favorites. However, if something still confuses you, let me know in a review.

This chapter is shorter than the rest.

O-o-o

**Chapter Twenty **  
>What Lies Beneath<p>

o-o-o

Riku and Roxas searched all over the neighborhood. It was nearing midnight and Roxas was becoming restless. Sora had left his phone up in his room so there was no way to contact him. Riku continued to call out Sora's name, but he would have felt much better if they just called the police. "Roxas, he's not here. What if he was kidnapped...?!"

"I don't know, okay?!"

"We need to call the police..."

"No. If the police were reliable, the organization would have been off the streets a long time ago. I don't trust them. I don't trust them at all." Roxas grunted. "Damn it, Sora... he _couldn't_ have had a relapse so soon... right? Is that even possible to have two episodes in the span of a month?! ARGH!"

"Alright, Roxas. Let's sit down for a moment." Riku said, nearing a bench. "Now... let's think. Where would Sora go? We've already looked around the shore as well as the next neighborhood over."

"I don't know! I don't know anything anymore!" Roxas yelled. "Maybe it's better if he's gone! I can't take this!"

"You certainly don't mean that." Riku said worriedly. "I know you're stressed out."

"I'm BEYOND stressed! I'm fucking livid! I'm tired of being the parent! I'm fucking exhausted!"

"I'm sorry."

"What the hell are you apologizing for?" Roxas asked in a low and irritated voice.

"I should have done something. I never really understood Sora or why he was so whimsical at times, but then overly depressed at others. I should have been a better friend, but now I feel like I'm just repeating myself. You don't have to take care of him by yourself anymore. Kairi, Namine and I will help you. So let's get up and find Sora." Riku stood up and held out his hand. Roxas shook his head.

"I don't want to move. I just... don't want to think. Sometimes... I just wish I could stop breathing."

"...Roxas..." Riku didn't know what to say.

o-o-o

"Everyone but Sora, Vexen and Saix need to leave now." Xemnas stated. The rest of the organization scrambled out of the room. Xemnas began to tiptoe back and forth, confusing Sora. He stopped at the wall and then whirled around; his lips curving into a mischievous grin. He tip toed back over to Sora and knelt over, looking him straight in the eyes. Xemnas began stroking his brown locks and making him even more nervous. Then, he took a heavy sigh and stepped back, just shaking his head.

"You said... you would tell me who you are... and what you want with us..." Sora was still dazed; he was trying to come to terms with everything that was happening. Other than the image of him just brutally stabbing Mr. Yamada to death, bits and pieces of his memory flashed through his mind—including the party where he first met the organization. Sora instinctively crossed his arms and tried to erase the thoughts, but they were exploding. His mind was forced to recall the bath incident with Shiki, as well as...

Kairi.

She looked so frightened that day.

All he could think of was how he was able to put her and himself at ease... and make love to her...

Kairi...

She was his light...

_'...but I... I killed him...'_ Sora's thoughts trailed off into the most recent incidents. He tried swallowing the huge lump in his throat as he held back his tears. As much as he loathed his father for destroying every piece of sanity he had, he didn't want to be labeled as a murderer. Self-defense was merely a cover up. Sora truly felt like he did something wrong now. In his mind, he was no different than the ruthless organization that brought him here.

"It's time that you knew the truth." Xemnas started. Sora lifted his head up slightly, but was too ashamed to look at him. He felt nauseous as the image of him dug the knife into Mr. Yamada's back. Trembling, Sora could no longer hold back his tears. They rolled down his face and he tried holding back the sobbing noises, but he was unable to. Xemnas stopped and just stared at him. "What is wrong, my child?"

But Sora couldn't hear him. He couldn't hear anything but the screams.

Mr. Yamada's... Vanitas'...as well as... Kairi's...

"No..." Sora shrieked as he covered his ears. "I'm... not... I didn't _kill_... anyone... I didn't..."

Xemnas stood there and pondered as Sora quickly slipped out of reality. Sora lay on his side and covered his ears. He couldn't see anyone. He could hardly breathe. Even the fact that they took Vanitas from him didn't bother him nearly as much as it should have—everything was just so overwhelming for the troubled teen. Sora tried closing his eyes and picturing Kairi, but even she was escaping him.

_'She never loved me... who could love a murderer...'_

"Sora, snap out of it." Xemnas demanded in a cool and collected tone. He knew exactly why Sora was upset... and he was going to use that against him. "Sit up, boy."

Sora wasn't sure if he heard him or that was just his mind playing tricks on him. He wasn't even sure if he was here at all. _'Is this all just some nightmare...? It has to be... I don't know what else it could be... yeah... a nightmare... it's a really... fucked... up...'_

Sora came to his senses when he was backhanded across the face by Saix. Saix then forced him upright and held him there from behind the couch, directing his vision towards Xemnas. "How dare you disrespect the leader. Look at him when he is talking to you."

"Y-Yes... sir..." Sora choked as he looked into Xemnas' yellow eyes. The color reminded him of Vanitas.

"Now, now Saix... no need to be harsh on the kid." Xemnas said. Saix let go of Sora's face, but stayed behind him. "Besides, he is trying to come to terms with the fact that he just murdered someone—not just anyone—his own father..."

Saix looked at him strangely; he was trying to figure out where Xemnas was going with this.

"If only... that really _was_ his father... then I could understand the morality behind it."

"...what...?" Sora said shakily.

"That wasn't your father, Sora."

"You mean... I killed a random... person...?!" Sora yelled. Saix became defensive, but Xemnas stopped him from doing anything.

"No, no. You killed the person whom you believed to be your father. But Sora, my child, there's way more to the story. Would you like to know?"

"...what are you talking about...?" Sora trailed off. He was falling in and out of insanity.

"You and your brother were too young then..." Xemnas began reminiscing. "Back when your supposed father—Mr. Yamada—_stole_ her from me..." Xemnas sighed. "He blamed me for a crime I did not commit. Since the police knew about my involvement with the organization, which... at the time I was merely a rookie like you, they sentenced me to twenty-eight years for a harmless aggravated robbery and a few other charges. Your mother stayed in contact with me, telling me of how Mr. Yamada forced her to be with him. She and I had an ongoing affair for years before I was sent to prison."

"That's... a bunch of nonsense..." Sora said aloud without realizing it.

"I hate to break it to you, Sora, but your entire life has been a lie. Mr. Yamada is not your father. He was merely a twisted freak that took you in as his own. He took advantage of you as a child. Yes Sora, I know everything." Xemnas smirked, but then frowned again. "I know what he did to you and your brother and I was _not_ happy about it!"

"...how... who..." Sora couldn't form sentences anymore.

"Your mother wrote explicit letters to me about everything. She was too afraid to help you. She was sorry about that." Xemnas shook his head and sighed once more. "She wanted to help you and your brother so much... but she feared for her life. And now... now I hear that she's..."

"My... mother? W-what... happened... to her...?" Sora stuttered and looked up in desperation. Even though she abandoned him, he still missed her dearly.

"Mr. Yamada KILLED her!" Xemnas yelled, shattering him. "He _killed_ the one woman I loved—the one woman he took from me. He probably found out the truth..."

"What... truth...?!" Sora didn't even know how he was able to ask questions anymore. "Tell me!" he screamed, nearly taking another hit from Saix. He put his arms up defensively and cowered.

"Saix, step away from him. It's a very sensitive subject. He has every right to be upset." Xemnas said. Saix did so, but continued to watch him. "Sora, you have been lied to. You _and_ your brother." Xemnas said dramatically. "The truth is..." He gestured at Vexen, who immediately nodded and walked up to Sora. He held a bag as well as a swab.

"What...?" Sora gave him a confused look.

"Open your mouth." He held the swab to him. Sora didn't do anything. "DO IT!" Vexen yelled. Sora complied. Xemnas continued to speak.

"Sora, you and I have so much in common. I too get racing thoughts and uncontrollable mood swings. I too feel like I'm lost in this world..."

Vexen swabbed inside his mouth for about thirty seconds, carefully put it in the bag and stepped away from him, leaving Sora even more bewildered. Vexen then did the same thing to Xemnas with another swab, bowed and left the room.

"I will prove to you that you and your brother... are really _my_ children." Xemnas said. "Mr. Yamada was nothing but a liar."

"...you... have got to be... kidding..."

"I'm afraid not, Sora. Vexen!" Xemnas called out. The scientist returned quickly, both bags still in his hands. "Let's let Sora watch you test the DNA. It makes it more believable. He seems to be in a state of shock."

"Yes sir. Sora, come."

Sora hesitated. He didn't have the strength to move, but after Saix yelled at him, he immediately jumped to his feet. Saix let Xemnas go ahead of him as they followed Vexen into the kitchen, where he had microscopes and a bunch of other equipment already packed onto the table and counters. It was hardly an ideal work space, but Vexen knew better than to complain. He started setting up what he needed. Sora could not comprehend what was happening. Xemnas put his hand on Sora's shoulder, startling him.

"Although tests are much easier with the mother's DNA..." Vexen said, "we will still be able to come to a conclusion. I also have your brother's DNA here. It will take a little bit, but we will compare yours with our leader's and prove to you that our leader indeed is your biological father."

"Thank you." Xemnas said.

Sora didn't know how to react.

O-o-o

Kairi and Namine had been sitting around for hours and Kairi was becoming restless. She was overly anxious about Sora and didn't know what to do. It was almost three in the morning and both girls were tired. Riku and Roxas were still out.

"...where... is he..." Kairi trailed off. She didn't want to cry but she was feeling overwhelmed. Namine had been texting Roxas back and forth, trying to keep him sane somehow, but she also wanted to comfort Kairi. "Sora... he's..."

Suddenly, the front door opened. In walked Sora.

"S-Sora?!" Kairi shrieked, immediately running over to him. His tired eyes looked at her before he was pulled into a tight hug. "Oh... oh god... where the hell _were_ you?! Why did you just leave like that?!"

"I... went... for a... walk..." Sora stated weakly. Kairi sobbed on his chest, but he couldn't move. He was broken beyond repair. Without a single word, he gently pushed her off of him and then headed for the stairs. Clutching onto the railing, he slowly went up, leaving the girls in a puzzled state. Kairi, however, was not about to let this slide. Namine called Roxas as Kairi followed Sora up to his room. He sat on his bed and just stared blankly at the wall.

"Sora, what happened to you?! Where did you go?!"

Nothing.

"Sora, answer me!" Kairi sat next to him on the bed and shook him. Nothing. "Sora... please tell me what's going on... I want to help you..."

Sora merely shook his head.

O-o-o  
>o-o-o<p>

**A/N:** I want to stop here. Strap in, folks. It's going to be a bumpy ride. Also... if you thought the love triangle was over... well, let's just say we have 10 to 12 chapters left.

Things to think about:

What happened to Vanitas?  
>Now that Sora is officially a member of the organization, although against his will, what will he do about it? How will he handle the fact that he killed another human being?<br>Will Roxas give up on Sora again?  
><strong>Important note:<strong> With ECT, one's memory slowly returns over a span of a few months. Sora remembers bits and pieces of what happened earlier in the story, but they will eventually come back to him. ECT is used as an absolute last resort for those suffering severe mania/suicidal thoughts associated with bipolar disorder.

If you're confused about anything, let me know! It will either be explained later or I'll make things clearer for you through PM.

**Review**!


	21. Distance

o-o-o

**Chapter Twenty-One**  
>Distance<p>

o-o-o

_"W__hat I'm looking for are the answers to why these questions never go away...  
>I'm so far away<br>I've been changin' but you'll never see me now  
>I'm so far away<br>Now I'm blaming you for everything..."_

O-o-o

Kairi was not getting through to Sora. He refused to speak and he looked as if all of the energy had been drained from his body.

Namine came upstairs. "Roxas and Riku are on their way back." She gave Sora an anxious look. "Sora, what's wrong?"

"He won't talk to me!" Kairi said in a frustrated manner. "Sora, _please_! Where did you go? And I _know_ you weren't wearing those clothes when we came home from school, so where did you get them?" Kairi eyed the short-sleeved, red button up shirt and blank pants. Sora still didn't respond.

He couldn't tell them.

Kairi placed her hand on his, only making his heart beat faster. It was so difficult, but at the same time, Sora was trying to come back to reality. He tried to believe that what just happened was merely another delusion.

_'The leader of the organization... is not my father... he... just... can't be... and I did __not__ murder anyone... this is all just some bad dream...'_

"Kairi, maybe we should let him have some time to himself..." Namine suggested.

"No way! I took my eyes off of him for one minute and he was gone! Sora, you'd better tell me what is going on!"

Sora was about to speak up when they heard the front door slam. Roxas ran up the stairs, followed by Riku and stopped in the doorway, nearly out of breath.

"Sora... you little..." Roxas stomped over to him and lifted his hand in the air as if he was going to hit him, but Kairi stopped him. She restrained his hands behind his back while Roxas' rage grew. "How _dare_ you run off like that... making us all worried as fuck! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Roxas, please..." Namine begged, but he ignored her.

"NO! I will NOT take this anymore! I'm fucking done! Sora, don't expect me to take care of you anymore! I've HAD IT!" Roxas broke away from Kairi and stormed out of the bedroom. Namine went after him. Sora sat there—emotionless.

Riku and Kairi stood in front of him; they were at a loss for words.

"Sora, he doesn't mean that..." Kairi stated, inching closer to him.

"Yes... he does." Sora finally said. "I'm a burden to everyone around me. I was wondering when he would give up... actually, I think it's for the better..."

"Sora, he's not going to give up on you. It was just a heat of the moment thing. Roxas cares for you more than anyone." Riku told him, but obviously Sora didn't believe it. Besides, he had much more dire matters on his mind.

"Could you two do me a favor?"

"What is it, Sora?" Kairi knelt down in front of him and stared into his sad, blue eyes. She took both of his hands into hers and waited for his response.

_'I... can't... do this...'_ Sora thought as he looked back at her. _'She's just... so beautiful... but... no. Any chance I ever had at loving someone and being loved in return... it's gone forever. I cannot get close to anyone anymore... or they might... besides, if they knew what I have done...'_

"Sora?" Kairi's voice broke through his thoughts. Her hands tightened on his. Riku wasn't too bothered; he was more worried about Sora at the moment.

Sora shut his eyes and tried to pull away from her. He got up and walked over to his window. Saying goodbye was always the hardest thing for him, but if it meant that Kairi and Riku would be able to live...

"Do me a favor and... don't hang out with me anymore."

"Sora, that's crazy talk!" Kairi yelled. She desperately wanted to help him, but he wasn't letting her.

He was so far away from her...

"Was it the organization?" Riku asked. Sora remained silent as he stared up at the moon. He knew that was a dead giveaway, but he would deny it all night if he had to. "Sora, Kairi and I are here to help you. Even if you don't tell us right now, just know you can always come to us."

_'I've done the worst thing possible... I've taken another life...'_ Sora became lost in his own thoughts once again. Riku shut the door and leaned against it while Kairi just watched Sora's backside. _'They want me to be one of them. They want me... to be...'_

_Flashback._

Xemnas and Sora sat at the kitchen table while Vexen examined the DNA. Saix stood at the doorway.

"Saix, get Sora a change of clothes."

Sora didn't even realize that he was still wearing the blood-stained clothes. A few minutes later, Saix came back and handed him a shirt and pants. It probably belonged to the deceased owner of the house, but that was the last thing on Sora's mind.

"Go get washed up." Saix demanded, with a nod of approval from Xemnas. Saix followed Sora to the bathroom and stood in the hallway. "If you try to do anything funny, I will not hesitate to make sure you regret it." With the clothes in hand, Sora did as he was told. He didn't want a repeat of what happened with Shiki, so he felt that it was best to just do what they said. As red water went down the drain, Sora couldn't help but picture the stabbing once again.

_'How did I become... such a monster? Yeah, he ruined mine and Vanitas' lives... but...'_

_'Am I ever going to be set free...?'_

"Hurry up in there!" Saix called.

Once the water was clear, Sora dried himself off and got dressed. He had no idea how he was even moving at this point—it was like his feet just did it on their own. Saix took him back to the kitchen and made him sit down across from Xemnas once again. Sora stared at the wooden table below him in despair.

"Sir, I'm sorry to intrude," Vexen said from behind him, "But I have the results."

"Do tell..." Xemnas said, not taking his eyes off of Sora. Sora didn't move.

"Your numbers match perfectly. Sora, you are in fact the biological son of our leader. Look." Vexen held the results out in front of him, but it wasn't like Sora understood what any of it meant. "I also have DNA from your supposed father, Mr. Yamada and... they are way different. This means he is not. Vanitas' results come up as a match to Xemnas as well."

Whether Mr. Yamada was Sora's real father or not—it didn't matter make much of a difference. He was still going to be haunted by him for the rest of his life.

"You see, Sora?" Xemnas spoke as he leaned forward. "You both are my sons and Mr. Yamada just took you two from me, as well as your mother. He needed to be punished for what he did, not only to me but to you as well... right?"

Sora nodded slightly, but he still felt horrible. He didn't know whether to believe them or not. Instead, he asked weakly, "Where is my brother?"

"Vanitas is being taken care of. He doesn't exactly have... what we want just yet."

"And what _do_ you want...? With me... with us..." Sora trailed off. He no longer cared if he was breaking any rules. Saix became angry, but Xemnas didn't let him do anything.

"My son has a right to know. Sora, in this organization, the offspring of the leader—this being you and your brother—are required to follow in that leader's footsteps. My father was a leader, as well as his and the one before that."

"...You want me to be the leader?"

"Not right away, of course. You need proper training and discipline."

"...and if I don't want to?" Sora was really pushing his luck.

"Death." Xemnas responded simply.

"Of course..."

"Oh, not just you, but everyone you're close to. It's a tradition. I don't like doing it. One of my uncles tried to defy us and they slit his throat, as well as anyone else important to him besides my father and other brother."

Sora stared at him in shock.

"It was a decision made by your great, great grandfather when he started this organization. You could say he was sort of a control freak. However, after that we all were just conditioned to believe that this was our fate. Truthfully, Vanitas is the predecessor since he's older, but I feel like you're more fit for the job."

"But why me? I'm not... a bad person..."

"Are we bad people to you, Sora?" Xemnas asked. Sora didn't know how to respond to that. "Be honest. What do you think of us?"

"Well, I know that you hurt people. I know that you sell drugs for profit... and that's wrong..."

"Do you feel like you have done something wrong?"

"YES!" Sora yelled. "I feel absolutely terrible!"

"But he hurt you..." Xemnas raised an eyebrow. "He destroyed your life."

"Still... I..."

"You will soon learn that everything we do is for a greater purpose. And when you find out, you will probably be more apt to obey. This organization was made on three principles: Love, Trust and Respect."

"Hah!" Sora couldn't help but laugh.

"Is that funny to you?"

Sora immediately frowned again and shook his head out of fear. Okay, maybe he still had some regard for his own life.

"We love our brothers and sisters, a.k.a. The other members. We trust that they will do as we ask and we respect everyone—especially the leader. While you're training to take my place, you will not gain the same amount of respect at first. If you prove yourself as time goes on, more of us will trust you."

Sora didn't want to be a part of this. Everything about them was wrong.

"What say you, my son?"

"I feel like... you tricked me... into joining..." Sora teared up a little.

"We were merely testing your potential. You passed. It would have been a shame to have to kill my own son."

"...please don't hurt my friends... or family..."

"Then stay with us and do what we tell you. It's really quite simple." Xemnas stated. "Saix, get Ventus to take Sora home. Sora, you are not to say a word to anyone about your training. Off with you, then. We will contact you for your next assignment."

In a daze, Sora was forced into a car. On the way, Ventus didn't talk. He just drove. As they got closer to his aunt's house, Sora finally decided to say something.

"Ventus, why did you want to join the organization?"

"We all have our reasons. Mine are merely financial."

"Financial?" Sora looked over at him. "But... you would kill someone if it meant you can get some money?"

"That's not how it works. I sell drugs for money. I haven't killed anyone yet, but now that I'm an official member, I will do whatever they tell me to do. I knew what I was getting myself into." Ventus stopped on Sora's street corner. "I will call you when you're needed. Go."

Sora got out of the car and Ventus sped off. After standing there for a moment, he started slowly heading towards his house.

_End of Flashback_

Roxas and Namine were out on the back porch; Roxas was fuming. He could no longer control his anger and even Namine's calm and gentle touch made him go over the top. She kept her distance behind him and just let him vent.

"He should be sent to an asylum... he should be locked away until he can't get better... better yet, maybe I'm the one that needs help. Maybe I'm the one that should be gone!"

"Roxas, just cry it out. You've been strong for way too long..." Namine said.

"Fucking... idiot... he can't do anything for himself..."

"He needs us..."

"But what about me? What about my sanity?!" Roxas yelled at her. "Am I supposed to just be there all the time? Am I supposed to sacrifice my friends, my relationships... just so he can see another day?"

Namine wrapped her arms around him. He tried pushing her away, but she only held on tighter. "I'll be here for you! I promise! Roxas, I love you so much and I hate that you're going through this!" she started to cry. "You're such a wonderful and caring guy. I know you can't abandon those you love... so I want you to know that it's okay... it's okay to be upset. It's okay to cry..."

Roxas didn't say anything. Namine was right. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder as he cried. "How did I find someone like you..." he whispered in between sobs. "I feel terrible now..."

"I'll always be here for you..." Namine wiped the tears from his face and kissed him.

"Thank you..." he hugged her once again.

O-o-o

Kairi went downstairs and lay down on the couch. Riku decided to stay in Sora's room for the night. Roxas and Namine were nowhere in sight, but Kairi didn't really worry about them. Leon entered the room in his bathrobe. Kairi didn't even notice him at first; she was so exhausted and stressed out.

"Kairi? What are you doing here? It's nearly five in the morning."

"Huh?" Kairi shot up. "Oh... I'm sorry... Sora was... having some problems."

"He alright?"

"I... guess..." Kairi lied.

"Well, don't mind me. I'll be getting ready for work."

Kairi thought it was strange that Sora's aunt and uncle were pretty much nonexistent nowadays, but then she remembered what Roxas told her about how they were just as tired of him as he seemed to be. It was heartbreaking to her.

She wanted to understand Sora better. She wanted to see him smile again. She missed the old days when they would just hang out at the beach, pass notes in class, Sora telling silly jokes...

She wanted that Sora to come back... the one she fell so hopelessly for...

"I'm sorry... Riku..."

o-o-o  
>o-o-o<p>

**A/N:** Uh oh... what is Kairi thinking now? **Review** and tell me what you thought of this chapter!

Things to think about:  
>Taking care of someone with a mental illness can really take its toll on those involved. It's not easy and there must be a really good support system in place even for the caretakers. Agree?<p>

Also, please 'like' the page in my profile. We give writing tips!


	22. Prelude

**A/N: To the guest review in chapter 21 – **I'm very sorry you're going through that. I've had similar experiences, but the bipolar disorder was never actually diagnosed because it was piled on top of other things. It's so easy for something like that to go unnoticed in some people or mistaken for something else. It's been very difficult to deal with sometimes and I know my parents don't want to give up, but they do get frustrated just like Roxas, Leon and Rinoa do in this fic. (with Leon and Rinoa – ignoring it happens a LOT – but not in my family – just in general) Thanks for the advice and I hope things get a bit easier on your end as you and people around you struggle to cope with that sort of thing. I hope this fic raises awareness on those issues as well, although a lot of people don't seem to understand. I don't really blame them though. As for BPD, I didn't know it then, but now that I think about it, I know someone that is like that as well. So I know how you feel. Princess-Xion on here has a story called "Tears on the Runway." I don't know if you're familiar with the story but it portrays that illness quite well.

Thanks to my other reviewers and readers that have continued to stick around. On with the chapter!

o-o-o

**Chapter Twenty-Two**  
>Prelude<p>

O-o-o

"Sorry for what?"

Kairi jumped at the sight of Riku behind the couch. "Oh, uh..." she appeared flushed. Riku went around and sat down next to her, not taking his eyes away from her. "Just that... I've been paying a lot of attention to Sora lately. Even though we live under the same roof, it seems like all of our time is being spent on Sora..."

Nice cover up. But now that she said it, she started feeling bad for ever having such a weak moment. Riku sighed and leaned forward, staring down at the floor. "Yeah. I... hope that you still want to be with me."

Hearing those words definitely added to the guilt. _'That's all it was. I'm just super tired... and I want to help Sora because he's my best friend. I can't think of it as something as silly as being in love...'_ Kairi rationalized. "Of course I still want to be with you." Kairi rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her. "Wait, did you leave Sora by himself?"

"He's fine." Riku assured her. "He fell asleep a few minutes after you left the room. I made sure he was really asleep...and that his window was locked."

"Okay..." Kairi said uneasily.

"I'd like to talk to you... about something..." Riku said. "I know it's five in the morning and we're both exhausted, but that's why I can't really restrain myself this time..."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just wondering exactly how you feel about me. I want to know if we're on the same page about each other... or if we're just wasting our time..." Riku didn't look at her. This woke Kairi up a little bit.

"Riku..."

"It's something I've wondered for a while. I knew you liked Sora and all and I've struggled to trust you both... especially after that incident... but I can't help it. You showed so much care for him up there and I'm just feeling really insecure now that the storm is over."

"Well, of course I care about Sora. But Riku, you never really acted like that, so I never really had the chance to... worry about you, as weird as that sounds."

"I guess that's true, but Kairi, I have problems too." Riku admitted, although it was just stating the obvious.

"I know. Like I said, our entire relationship has been overshadowed by Sora's problems."

"Sora again..." Riku said dishearteningly; a yawn following.

"Basically, I know you're much better for me—no offense to Sora. I know that you are able to love and support me with a stable mind and that we pretty much work well together other than my little temper tantrums here and there. But even then, you are able to meet me halfway and calm me down before things get out of hand." As Kairi continued, she was really starting to convince herself of her own words. "You listen to what I have to say, you're a huge sap," A small smile crept upon his face, "and you have the biggest heart. You're rational, collected and handle situations effectively. It's more than just love with you. I feel like... you'll be around for much... much longer..." Kairi blushed.

"Wow..." Riku's tired state prevented him from responding properly. "So you have no lingering feelings for Sora whatsoever?"

"It's so hard to see Sora go through all this and I'm sorry if I come across as too affectionate towards him..." Kairi paused, "...abandoning those... fantasies I harbored over the years has been a little easier with you around, but to be honest, sometimes I just..." she wasn't sure if she should tell him, but she was already this far, "...I confuse my feelings with the truth."

"That scares me." Riku sighed again. "But thanks for being honest... we've been together nearly three months, but we've been best friends for much longer than that. I don't want to ruin anything."

"Me neither. You're seriously a great guy and I love you, Riku." Kairi kissed his cheek and rested her head back on his shoulder.

"I guess I should tell you what you mean to me..." Riku's thoughts were scrambled in his head.

"It's okay. I know how you feel."

"No, I should." Another yawn. "Kairi, for me you were always the perfect type of girl. You were independent, sweet at times, logical... pretty... you were just everything that I wanted in someone. I've liked you since middle school, but you were quite obvious about your crush on Sora."

"I know... I'm sorry for talking about him so much..."

"Yeah, well... that was middle school. High school you were slightly better about it, but I knew that your feelings were growing. It was really difficult to watch, especially when my feelings for you were becoming harder to control. Everything you did just impressed me—you got your black belt, your grades were getting better and that smile on your face... even though Sora was the reason for it, I just loved seeing it. I was in the background for a long time, but thanks for choosing me. I was truly surprised that you did... but really glad."

The sun started to rise. Kairi's face reddened even more. "It surprised me too." Riku kissed her forehead and then went for her lips. After they broke away from each other, he spoke again.

"I love you more than anything, Kairi. I hope you know that."

"I do. I love you too..."

Riku lay down on his back and Kairi lay on top of him. After a few passionate kisses, Kairi lay head down on his chest. They were too tired to think of what Sora's aunt and uncle would do about that and fell asleep almost instantly.

O-o-o

Vanitas woke up in a dim lighted room. He heard what sounded like typing on a computer. When he tried to move, he realized he was tied up. Panic immediately took over.

"Oh, you're awake." a girl's voice said. As she came closer to him, he saw her jet black hair and big blue eyes. "Hey, Zack. Let Marluxia and Demyx know."

"Will do, sis."

Vanitas heard a door open and shut. He looked back at the girl in front of him. "Who the hell are you?"

"You know, I almost confused you with that Sora kid. The name is Xion."

"Sora? Where is he?!"

"I can't tell you that. What I can tell you is that you are about to embark on a vigorous journey!"

"Journey? What the hell are you talking about? Untie me! Where am I?!"

Just then, the door open and the light switch came on. Marluxia, as well as Demyx and Zack walked in. Vanitas was in some sort of office. "Took him a long time to wake up." Demyx complained.

"Yeah, well." Marluxia walked over to Vanitas and stood over him with a clipboard. Vanitas had no idea what was going on. "The leader told us we needed to take him to Master Xehanort himself."

"Whoa, really?!" Demyx said astoundingly. "I've never actually met the guy. That makes me super nervous as well as honored!"

"Shut your trap, dimwit."

"Hey, what's going on?! Where is Sora?!" Vanitas yelled as he struggled to get out of the ropes. It was no use.

"Sora has been taken care of. I'm here to give you the paternity results of Mr. Yamada's and our leader's tests."

"Wait, what?" Vanitas shrieked.

"Mr. Yamada is not your real father. Our leader, and dare I say it, Xemnas, is your biological father. The DNA proves it. Now shut up and listen."

"Wait a minute..." Vanitas started panting, "...you're trying to tell me that wasn't my father? You... are trying to tell me... _what_?!" Vanitas was so thrown off and was still trying to wake up. "You... you can't just brush over something like that! What kind of sick and twisted people are you... telling me such things...?!"

"It's true. Sora has been told as well."

"Yeah, so now we have to train you or some shit." Demyx added. "Because _boy_, you are DEFINITELY not ready!"

"Will you shut the fuck up?!" Marluxia scolded. Demyx cowered a little. Xion and Zack just watched in the background. "Seriously, I don't know why you're even a member..."

"Sorry." Demyx said and took a few steps back.

"We are going to transport you to Traverse Town." Marluxia told Vanitas. "Either you come with us, or die."

"I'd rather die!" Vanitas spit on Marluxia's shoe. Marluxia looked down at it, then swiftly kicked him in the face. Vanitas fell over onto his side; blood tinkled from his nose.

"As I was saying," Marluxia stated, "you two, take him to the living room first. Our leader would like to speak with him before he leaves." Xion and Zack immediately did so. They carried Vanitas out of the room and into the hallway.

"Let go of me!"

"Quiet!" Zack demanded. Marluxia and Demyx followed behind them. Vanitas was thrown onto a blood-stained couch; obviously the one Sora sat on the night before. After a few moments of silence, Xemnas entered the room.

"Why is he still tied up? Why must you disrespect my son? Ventus told me that you two still wanted to be a part of us. You're slacking."

Xion and Zack immediately untied Vanitas. He sat upright. He wanted to make a run for it, but there was too many people around and he still wasn't sure where he was. Vanitas' nerves caused him to tremble.

"They told you, right? The results of the test?"

Vanitas nodded. "It's a bunch of bullshit."

"My, my. This one has a mouth."

"Would you like me to beat him?" Marluxia asked, almost sounding desperate. Xemnas shook his head.

"It's nothing I can't handle. In fact, you all can leave now." Everyone but Xemnas and Vanitas remained in the room. "I'm going to get to the point. I told your brother that he would make a better leader."

"Leader? What are you talking about?!" Vanitas yelled. "This isn't making any sense!"

Xemnas explained to him about the successor rules and everything that he told Sora. Vanitas was too much in shock to respond after hearing it all.

"Now then, here's what you can do." Xemnas said.

O-o-o

A week went by. Sora didn't come to school anymore and that worried the group more than ever. Riku trying to focus on graduating, though and Kairi had to keep up with her schoolwork or her mother would never let her hear the end of it. After loosely explaining things to his teachers as well as the principal, Roxas was able to get permission to stay home with Sora once a week and not have it count against him. He was too nervous leaving Sora by himself, but Sora had barely gotten out of bed since that night. He didn't talk much either and Roxas almost thought he was having another depressive episode. He obviously would not pass his junior year and the rest of the group had grown to accept that.

"Roxas, I have a cousin that could watch Sora while we're at school." Namine told him during lunch. "It may make you feel better... and if your parents are okay with it, she could stay at the house with him. Or if you'd like, we can take Sora over to her place."

"Who?" Roxas asked. Riku and Kairi sat down at the table. Olette and Selphie were talking to each other about something else.

"Her name is Claire, but she goes by Lightning. I know, weird name, but I think she can help. Want me to talk to her?"

"I don't know. I hate to put someone else through all of that..." Roxas sighed.

"Wait, what's going on?" Kairi asked.

"My cousin Lightning graduated with a Bachelor's in Psychology recently. She's been through a lot in her life, but now she's very understanding and down to earth and I think she can... babysit Sora while we're at school. She also knows how to fight pretty well in case, god forbid, anything happens. It will take some stress off of all of us and she would be more than happy to do that. It would help her a lot with her dream to become a counselor, so it's not like she would be wasting her time. She can also... sort of... keep him in line."

"Still..." Roxas was a bit unsure.

"Well, I'll let you meet her and then you can decide for yourself." Namine pulled out her phone and texted her cousin. "She's in between jobs right now."

"If you think she can handle him..." Riku stated nervously.

"Roxas, she says she can meet us at her apartment after school." Namine told them. "Is that alright with everyone? She wants us to bring Sora too."

"The last game is tomorrow, so I have to be at practice today." Riku said. "But Kairi and Roxas have good judgment."

"Namine, are you sure about this...?" Kairi asked.

"Yup!"

o-o-o

_'Murder... drugs...'_ Sora stared blankly at the ceiling. _'A leader... of... an organization... that kills...'_ Sora's stomach rumbled, but he ignored it. He had barely eaten but once a day over the past week and that was only because he was forced to. He didn't have much energy and could only think about the apparent 'fate' that had befallen him. Even sleeping was torture, considering he was too scared to enter his nightmares. Being awake was just as bad, though...

He felt guilty. _'Should I just turn myself in? Going to jail would be one way out... maybe...'_

He was already in prison. He had been there since he was five years old.

Suddenly, Sora heard a tap on his window. His eyes traveled over to it, but he was too afraid to get up. _'Maybe they want me to do something now... I thought Ventus would call...'_

Knock, knock, knock.

_'I guess I don't have a choice...'_ Sora slowly got up, but to his surprise, it wasn't Ventus at all.

"Axel?!" Sora blurted out, astonished as he unlocked the window and let him in.

o-o-o  
>o-o-o<p>

**A/N:** So. Um. Yeah. **Review**! What is Axel doing at Sora's window?

Bigger developments are unfolding. Give me your predictions! Only about 10 to 12 chapters left (really!)

Also, has this story been too slow?

Let me know!


End file.
